Music, art and roses: Juneteenth festivities from Issaquah to Seattle

June 18, 2021 at 9:10 pm Updated June 19, 2021 at 11:24 am

Kimberly Kapustein talks to members of the Highland youth council on the symbolism of Juneteenth at Blakely Hall, the Issaquah Highlands Community Center, on Friday. Kapustein, 54, is president of the Issaquah Highlands Council, the committee that’s organizing the city’s first Juneteenth celebration. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

People enjoy music, food and community at a Juneteenth event at Blakely Hall, the Issaquah Highlands Community Center, on Friday. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Wamaitha Kiarie, 40, of Issaquah, holds Zahra, her 14-month-old cockapoo, while dancing with her neighbor, Myra Byrnes, 56, during a Juneteenth celebration at Blakely Hall, the Issaquah Highlands Community Center, on Friday. “I’ve lived here 14 years so I had to come out and celebrate,” said Kiarie. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

People enjoy music, food and community at a Juneteenth event at Blakely Hall, the Issaquah Highlands Community Center, on Friday. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Artist Earl Debnam turned a tent outside the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle into a temporary studio on Friday. The museum is housed in the former Colman School, which closed in 1985. Debnam and other activists occupied the building for about eight years, until the city agreed to turn it into a Black history museum. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Artist Earl Debnam painted this depiction of the Colman School, now the Northwest African American Museum, on Friday. In an act of civil disobedience, he and other activists occupied the closed Colman School for eight years in the mid-1980s to early 1990s, demanding that it be turned into a Black history museum. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Rad2Cool says he’s been living in a tent in front of the Northwest African American Museum since May 8. About Juneteenth he says, it’s “activating people to really doing something about their living situation. The people that have the love for Black unity to come together, if we can do one thing all together, we can do anything.” At this site he says he’s here to protect his elders. Thousands are expected to march to this site in Seattle on Saturday, as they did last year. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Ja’kara McCullen, 28, a Northwest African American Museum employee, hands out roses to graduates during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the organization for 2021 graduates on Thursday at Lumen Field in Seattle. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

The Kutt’N’Up dance group performs during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the Northwest African American Museum for 2021 graduates at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Ebbisa Endale, 24, and Kyra Burns, 25, of Seattle, watch a performance during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the Northwest African American Museum for new graduates at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Shani Satterwhite, 4, of Seattle, receives a rose during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the Northwest African American Museum for new graduates at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

The Kutt’N’Up dance group takes a photo before performing during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the Northwest African American Museum for 2021 graduates at Lumen Field on Thursday. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Shawnel Davison, 19, who graduated last year, stands for a portrait during the Drive-In Black Graduation hosted by the Northwest African American Museum for new graduates at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday. The event celebrated pre-K through college graduates as part of Juneteenth Week 2021 Youth Night. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

Samara Howell, 8, who is entering third grade, receives a rose from Ja’kara McCullen, 28, during the Drive-In Black Graduation at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday. McCullen works at the Northwest African American Museum, which hosted the event. (Sylvia Jarrus / The Seattle Times)

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Seattle Times photo staff

Seattle Times photo staff

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