Music, food & more at Juneteenth celebration

By Matt Petras

For the MV Independent

Rev. Lee Haney grew up in Texas, about 73 miles from Galveston, where the Juneteenth holiday began. He celebrated it as a kid and wanted to bring that tradition to the Mon Valley. 

“When I got here, it’s a good opportunity for us to bring the community together, just to celebrate unity,” Haney said. “It’s not about Juneteenth as much as it’s about just having the community come together and have a fellowship together.”

Haney, director of St. Paul Hope Ministries, gathered with a few dozen Mon Valley residents Saturday at Palmer Park in Donora for a warm, sunny day of food from the grill, live music and free COVID-19 vaccine shots and tests.  

The event honored Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States in 1865 and is officially recognized on June 19. 

Beyond bringing together the community, the event also served as an extension of the work St. Paul Hope Ministries already does outside of Mass. Every fourth Saturday, including coming up this week, the church hosts a food bank.

“We’ve got people hurting, and we’ve got people in need, but we have to come together as a community; that is what we’re trying to do,” Haney said. “So this is really just an outgrowth of it.” 

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