Juneteenth organizer invites HRC to staff booth, seeks volunteers and ancestor photos

Trey Heffin King, a Juneteenth organizer who said he represents Partners in Hope, formally invited the Troy Human Relations Commission and the mayor to participate in this year's Juneteenth events and asked whether the commission or the city would provide a booth. King said he is stepping back from leading next year's planning committee but will remain available to help this year. He described a Friday evening partner event with the Troy Intercultural Center and a Saturday festival that requires volunteers for set-up, food service and cleanup. King said volunteers age 17 and older are welcome and that a sign-up link lists time slots rather than an all-day requirement. King also described a planned Ancestor Village display and asked for headshots of ancestors and a short statement (three to five sentences) to include in the exhibit. He suggested a target submission deadline of about a week and a half before the event and later in the conversation offered July 1 as a practical cutoff; he asked that submissions be sent to the Juneteenth email listed on the event flyer. Commission members discussed the booth fee for vendors and whether the city would share a booth with HRC; they recommended asking city staff about sharing the booth for recruitment and outreach. No formal budget authorization or vote was recorded; commissioners volunteered to help staff the booth and asked staff to determine whether the city would join the commission in a shared presence at the festival.