06/19/2026
Two buses full of PACE members, and their LifeCircles team, filled the streets of downtown Muskegon with a lot of noise, pride, and joy at the Juneteenth parade today! 🚎✨
Juneteenth marks a vital piece of American history. On June 19, 1865—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed—Union troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver the news and ensure that the last enslaved people were officially free. It is a day that honors freedom, resilience, and community.
As the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," Opal Lee, famously said: “We have to look after one another.” That simple, powerful truth is at the heart of everything PACE!
Today, we are also lifting up the memory of the late Patsy Petty. As the visionary who got Muskegon’s Juneteenth celebrations going, her legacy lives on every single time our community comes together like this.
Thank you Taking Back Muskegon Inc. for your continued leadership in our community.
Happy Freedom Day, Muskegon!❤️🖤💚
Photos: LifeCircles getting ready to rep in the parade.
Galveston, Texas mural: Absolute Equality, Texas Historical Commission Plaque, Portrait of Opal Lee by Susie Cortez, Murals from the Absolute Equality Project
National PACE Association