KENT, Washington — Families, local businesses, and community leaders all gathered under a beautiful summer sky to celebrate the 15th annual Kent Juneteenth festival. The special event was full of fun, friendship, and reflection. It also featured an inspiring speech from Megan Matthews, the Director of the Washington State Office of Equity.

TUMWATER, WA — Yesterday, inside the bustling corridors of the Department of Labor & Industries headquarters, the atmosphere yesterday felt less like a standard state government facility and more like a sanctuary of collective memory, cultural triumph, and radical joy.