By T. Scott Boatright
GRAMBLING — The City of Grambling selected its Juneteenth royalty Friday night as the celebration’s annual pageant was held inside T.H. Harris Auditorium on the Grambling State University campus.
Juneteenth commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth (short for “June 19th”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed.
Founded and organized by Beattie Street, the pageant was hosted by GSU Deputy Chief of Staff Adarian Williams.
This year’s winners are Little Miss Juneteenth Alaya Nichelle Casson; Junior Miss Juneteenth Evangeline Sha’Marie Rhodes; and Miss Juneteenth Aubrey Champion.
That trio will be featured prominently as Grambling’s annual Juneteenth Parade rolls through the village at 10 a.m. Thursday — Juneteenth itself.
