GLASGOW, Ky. — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker visited Glasgow on Friday, using a Juneteenth celebration at Twyman Park to deliver a message of hope, healing and change.

Booker, a Louisville native and former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, made Glasgow one of several campaign stops across the state. He addressed residents gathered for a Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Glasgow-Barren County.

Gabrielle Hayes with the Boys and Girls Club said the organization was not hosting a Juneteenth event when she joined the club about two and a half years ago.

In the wake of social movements across the country, she said she believed it was important to create a celebration where Black children could celebrate their culture while giving friends, neighbors and the broader community an opportunity to celebrate African American culture alongside them.

“We are all one big family. These kids, these families, this community — those are the people that we’re celebrating,” Hayes said.

Congress designated Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of emancipation reached Texas, one of the last places where enslaved people learned they had been freed.

Booker said Juneteenth serves as a reminder that change remains possible despite the challenges communities face.

“We’re fighting for justice. We’re fighting for healing. We’re fighting for a better future for our families, for Kentucky, for the country and for the world,” Booker said. “Juneteenth is our reminder that it’s still possible.”

Booker said many people feel trapped by challenges such as gun violence, limited healthcare and lack of opportunity, but argued communities have the power to shape their own future.

“We are already free. Change is already here because we are the change. We are the chain breakers,” he said.

Booker said some of his ancestors were enslaved in Kentucky and others were victims of lynchings. He asked attendees to observe Juneteenth with solemnity as well as celebration.

“I don’t take the work I’m doing for granted,” he said. “We are lifting up a story of love and family at a time of so much hate and division. I don’t take that for granted.”

Booker secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on May 19, defeating Amy McGrath. He previously sought the seat in 2020, losing to McGrath in the Democratic primary.

He will face Republican Congressman Andy Barr in November in the race to succeed longtime U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has held the seat for more than four decades after previously serving as Jefferson County judge/executive.

“Democracy is still possible. Prosperity is still possible,” Booker said. “I can’t tell you how inspired I am to do something like this at a time like this.”