During the early months of quarantine last year, after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited protests and calls for change across the country, friends Devin Anglin and Rashad Smith had a benign conversation in Rochester about cycling.
“The George Floyd protests were rampant at that time … and we were like, ‘Yo, we should just get out and ride our bikes,’” Anglin said.
And it just so happened that the upcoming Saturday was Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. It marks the June 19, 1865 announcement that ended slavery in Texas. Jubilees in celebration of Black emancipation have widely existed across the South, and in recent years, Juneteenth has become a more mainstream holiday nationwide.