Midway was the first city in Kentucky to declare Juneteenth a city holiday. On Saturday, the city will hold its fifth annual celebration to mark the day in 1865 when enslaved Blacks in Texas learned they were free. Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he signed the executive order in June 2020 at the suggestion of his wife Katie, who was in the banking industry and learned another bank would close on June 19th.
“Why would we not celebrate the end of slavery in America? That seems like as good of any reason to celebrate a holiday. So it's been very well regarded in Midway. You know, the community has wrapped its arms around it.”
In 2025, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have resulted in firings and forced policy changes by the Trump Administration and some state legislatures – including Kentucky’s. As Midway prepares for Saturday’s celebration, Vandegrift said he’s proud of the way folks there have responded.
“People too often confuse remembering history with being reprimanded for it. Nobody today is guilty of practicing slavery. Nobody's responsible for it, but I would argue we are responsible for understanding the effects it had, and how they still linger into today.”
Midway’s Juneteenth celebration begins at noon and ends at 5 p.m. in the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery, an All-Black cemetery where former slaves are buried.
