Sunday, June 19, Seattleites participated in Juneteenth events across the city. The holiday has long been celebrated throughout the country, especially among African Americans, though it was not formally recognized as a federal holiday until last year. While often thought of in conjunction with the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people in 1863, many would not receive news of their freedom until later. Those in Galveston, Texas, did not receive word of emancipation until June 19, 1865, more than two years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. Juneteenth started as a way for those enslaved in the Galveston area to celebrate that freedom had finally reached them.
Four wheels, five, three, and even two — inline, quads, or whatever suits you. Choose a rink and pump some tunes — the roller skating craze is in Seattle, too.
When I first heard that roller skates were on back order and hard to find, I chuckled. First there was a run on toilet paper and now skates too? The pandemic gods have a great sense of humor. But then I began to remember some of my fondest childhood moments: Friday nights as a 1980s preteen rolling around the wooden floor of a local roller rink in Chicago. I felt a deep sense of nostalgia as I recalled the remixed and pumped-up James Brown songs that accompanied my wobbly skate legs. And I wondered: How has one of America’s most beloved pastimes fared 150 years after James Plimpton invented the modern roller skate and 50 years after its disco heyday?
