Today we will celebrate pride month with a rally at the church from 12-2! Bring your signs (or we will have sign-making material at the church) as we smile and wave to people driving by as we proclaim God’s love for all of God’s children, especially those of us who are LGBTQIA+!

Then we will celebrate Juneteenth from 3-6 at Milwaukie Bay Park. This is Milwaukie’s first annual Juneteenth celebration. Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the US. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, some states held on to slavery. Texas was the last hold out, finally emancipating slaves on June 19th, 1865. Juneteenth has been celebrated every year since 1866. Here is more information from the Facebook event page: “The Black community of Milwaukie is holding its first annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 19th at Milwaukie Bay Park. There will be speakers, spoken-word performers, vendors, music, and food trucks. All this to commemorate the delayed freedom of many, celebrate the freedoms we enjoy today, and the continued fight for equity. We thank the City of Milwaukie and our community allies for their support and friendship.”