The smell of barbecue fills the air as little kids scream in delight, splashing down a waterslide and groups of people sit on lawn chairs chatting at the Rolling Ridge
More than 100 residents gathered at Rolling Ridge Apartments on Sunday to celebrate Juneteenth, which was recently named a federal holiday.
But some attendees noted the Juneteenth federal holiday was largely a symbolic gesture in the wake of numerous states looking to ban critical race theory in classrooms. Critical race theory is a decades-old academic concept examining how race and racism shaped U.S. history, and how laws and systems today perpetuate racism. It s like a huge oxymoron a slap in the face almost, said Broderick Flannigan, one of the organizers of Sunday s celebration, which was delayed a week because of rain. They re scared of us learning that history because that will change the landscape in a way, and people will become more aware of why things are the way they are.