LEWISTON — “We’re going to have a New Orleans party!” With those jubilant words, Glen David Andrews, the lead of the New Orleans-based Glen David Andrews Band, kicked off Lewiston’s Juneteenth parade Wednesday afternoon. Part of the Maine Inside Out’s fourth annual Juneteenth festival, the parade flooded Lewiston streets with joy, dancing, New Orleans-style jazz and even circus performances. Starting at the Public Theater at 31 Maple St.
, the parade proceeded to Kennedy Park, where onlookers gathered to revel in the exuberance of the parade. Maine Inside Out is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and based in Lewiston. It uses theater and art to help marginalized groups get in tune with the issues that face their community and advocate for change.
The group “works in prisons and schools, and especially for folks who do not have voices and decision-making spaces,” Co-Executive Director Joseph Jackson said. The festival, which was titled The City that Carries Us: Pain, Streets and Heartbeats, was more than just the parade. The festival included an opening ceremony at the Public Theater and a block party at Kennedy Park, which lasted until the early evening.
It was more than just a celebration. Reflecting on what Juneteenth meant to him, Jackson explained that “it is also a moment of grief.” For Jackson, Juneteenth is personal.
A native of Texas, he grew up celebrating Juneteenth — long before it became a federal holiday. Celebrated by Black communitie.