ROANOKE, Va. – Juneteenth is a holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States.
It’s a day that carries weight of the nation’s history and Black business owners in Roanoke are taking time to acknowledge the progression of the Black community.
For the past 40 years, Shades of Color stands in downtown Roanoke.
A colorful boutique Pauline Wood created to foster unity and offer a taste of cultural design.
On Juneteenth, Wood reflects on the struggles her ancestors overcame which now inspire her to move forward.
“It makes me stronger than ever,” she said. “Because I just want to pick up where they left off. Because I know I can do it. Because I’m doing it.”
On Williamson Road, Lenai Clegg’s sign alone pays tribute to her roots.
The Culture Ethnic Shop logo highlights the word “culture” with red, black and green letters to reflect the Pan-African flag along with an image of the African ankh meaning eternal life.
Red symbolizes the blood shed for Black African liberation. Black represents the people. Green refers to the land and natural fertility of Africa.
Inside the shop are skin care, hair care, clothes, two hair stylist salons and a barbershop.
Clegg said the ancestors helped open a door of opportunity for her. So, it’s her mission to give back and teach entrepreneurship to the next generation.
“We are really looking to grasp something that is ours,” she said. “And something that can’t be taken away from us. It’s basically like a form of us taking our power back.”
As a new restaurant owner, Greg Fuller understands that desire.
He aims to feed people’s soul with no soy, no tofu and no GMO vegan cuisine at The Veganaire.
But he urges the education of Juneteenth to help feed people’s minds.
“They say history is the playbook to life,” “So if you know what happened before. You can know how to approach the future.”
Wearing a shirt that reads ‘I am the fruit of my ancestors roots’, Fuller said supporting local Black businesses is a way to recognize their achievements and create prosperity.