Hundreds gather to celebrate Juneteenth in Minneapolis
Hundreds of people visited the Soul of the Southside Festival in Minneapolis to celebrate freedom on Juneteenth.
“I acknowledge the only reason my parents were able to immigrate here is because of the liberatory and revolutionary acts of African Americans,” Kene Orakwue, attendee, said.
Juneteenth is a day to honor freedom and resilience. It marks the official end of slavery in the United States.
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RELATED: A guide to what the Juneteenth holiday is and how to celebrate it
“I just wanted to celebrate the community, be out here with my people,” Athena Webster, attendee, said.
It’s the people who breathe life into the Soul of the Southside festival.
RELATED: Juneteenth events in Twin Cities metro
“This is a day for us to come out, not only remember, but to fellowship with each other and have a good time,” James Gavis, attendee, said.
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The heat was no match for the hundreds that gathered on East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, diving deep into Black culture through a fusion of history, art, music and food.
The Minnesota Hip Hop collective is one of the groups performing at the event, rooted in Black cultural dances.
“When it comes to being in community and sharing spaces and knowing that this is a safe space, a place to meet people and expand your connection, I feel like Soul of the South side is the place to do it,” Lydia Jones, a Minnesota Hip Hop collective dancer, said.
“I just love the community that comes out of this festival. It’s just so warm,” Simone Hall, a Minnesota Hip Hop collective dancer, said. “Everybody in our group is Black, so we stand for all that is Black, and all that is Blackness.”
Attendees describe the festival as a safe space to celebrate unity and pride during uncertain times.
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“The utmost importance, especially with everything that’s happening with the administration right now. I feel like people need to band together. There needs to be unity, and people just need to celebrate each other,” Webster said.
The Minnesota Hip Hop collective was also fundraising at the festival for a trip to New York to learn hip hop from dance leaders trained in the mecca of hip hop.
The first Soul of the Southside Festival kicked off in 2022. It was originally a single event born from The Legacy Building’s mission to support Black creatives and to use creativity as a vehicle for liberation, according to the event website.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A United Airlines flight that left Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Friday was diverted due to an unruly passenger, officials said.
United flight 2005 from Chicago was headed to Minneapolis but landed in Madison, Wisconsin.
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“United flight 2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis landed safely in Madison, Wisconsin to address a security concern with an unruly passenger,” the airline said in a statement. “The flight is expected to continue to Minneapolis later on Friday.”
An ICE agent facing several assault charges in connection with a January shooting involving two Venezuelan people in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Christian Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
CNN is working to determine whether Castro has an attorney and has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Castro faces those charges in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man shot in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The incident took place during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz in the Twin Cities.
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Originally, Sosa-Celis and his cousin Alfredo A. Aljorna were facing federal charges after DHS said they had attacked an agent, prompting him to fire a defensive shot.
But the Justice Department dropped the charges in February, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said two of its agents, who made false statements about the incident under oath, were placed on administrative leave.
FOX 9’s Erika Mrazik has your Thursday evening and extended forecast. Our temperatures continue to feel more like July than May, and we’ll continue to see plenty of sun.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities starting Friday.
Air quality alert in Twin Cities
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What we know:
MPCA says that ground-level ozone will be at unhealthy levels in the Twin Cities on Friday. An air quality will be in place from noon to 9 p.m.
An air quality alert in the Twin Cities. Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (Supplied)
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Sunny skies, low humidity and warm temperatures make for favorable conditions pollutants to react with sunlight to make ground-level ozone. MPCA says the ozone will subside as the sun sets.
Who is most affected by poor air quality?
Dig deeper:
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People with asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be affected by poor quality. They can experience symptoms like difficulty deep breathing, shortness of breath, throat soreness, wheezing, coughing and unusual fatigue.
Additionally, children, teenagers and people of all ages who are doing heavy physical activity outside.
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What you can do:
MPCA recommends taking it easy while outside and limiting physical activity.
To help reduce pollution, use public transit or carpool when possible, fill up your car’s tank at dawn or dusk and avoid backyard fires.
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The Source: A press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
