LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Louisville’s Fourth Street, a Juneteenth celebration gave Black-owned businesses a chance to highlight the progress Black Americans have made.

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

“We were enslaved. We were put on the back of the bus. And just to be here today, it really is our ancestors’ greatest dreams,” said Gin Spaulding, a retired teacher. “I am just happy and proud to represent myself, my race, my people, and I know that I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

After 27 years of teaching, Spaulding is now an author who sells books and items that highlight experiences that often go unrepresented in Black spaces.

Like Spaulding, Deedee Olden loves the opportunity to showcase her business, Boot and Bully, to others.

Olden said it was her first time doing so, and she was determined to make the most of it.

“It means a lot. And just to see other Black businesses, it gives me a lot of encouragement. I was really kind of afraid to do this, but seeing others that they were doing it, I just knew I had to step out on faith,” Olden said.

This year marked the sixth annual “Ancestor’s Dream,” put together by the Melannaire Marketplace to highlight Black-owned businesses in the city.

With Juneteenth marking a turning point in the nation’s history, it has also become a marquee moment for entrepreneurs to celebrate one another.