Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 and marks the emancipation of the last slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. A new community center is now opening in Boise on Ustick Road.
Claire-Marie Owens is one of the community organizers for the space. She hopes it will become a third space for all Idahoans.
“We don't do political work, but we are politicized by our nature. The truth is we're just trying to make a space for anybody in the community to use,” Owens said.
She says it will be open for things like doing homework or holding yoga class. There's a food truck outside and Tropico FM, a radio station serving the Latin American and BIPOC community, records programs there.
“Third spaces are such an important place for us as human beings. So having a community center like this, I think that really facilitates what's needed in this community”
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that less than two percent of the Idaho population is Black, compared to 92.5% being white.
When asked about whether the recent political landscape for black Americans has changed in recent years, Owens responded, "While the national political climate is very extreme for a lot of people, it's not anything different than most Idahoans have been experiencing or most Idahoans of color have been experiencing all of our lives”
The space opens this Saturday, June 14.
