photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

The Douglas County Commission will soon consider whether to provide several thousand dollars in funding for a Juneteenth celebration in Lawrence.

At its meeting Wednesday, the commission will consider a request from the Lawrence Juneteenth Organization, which is asking county leaders for $5,000 in one-time funding to help it host a Juneteenth celebration on June 18. Juneteenth, which was made a federal holiday last year, is formally observed on June 19 and marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed.

A letter from the Lawrence Juneteenth Organization to the commission says the event would be family-oriented, with children’s activities sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. The letter says that the event would also incorporate recordings of oral histories from families who have lived in the Lawrence area for generations, and that it would prominently feature live music.

A number of commemorations to honor Juneteenth took place in Lawrence last year, and the Douglas County Commission added it as a paid holiday for county staff in December.

In other business, the commission will hear a presentation from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health staff about its recently completed 2021 Health Equity Report.

Wednesday’s meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting also will be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.