Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival Chair LaTisha Gasaway-Paul will discuss the triumphs of that historic community, the challenges residents face in the present and their hopes for the future at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, in a Zoom presentation that is part of the Montgomery Parks Speaker Series.
Scotland is Montgomery County’s first African American owned community. The upcoming Juneteenth Federal holiday will be celebrated on Monday, June 19.
The session will be held online. Registration is available via the May speaker series online form. A zoom link will be sent to registrants the day before the session.
Ms. Gasaway Paul is a fifth-generation resident of Scotland, the Potomac neighborhood that is the first community where African Americans owned land in Montgomery County.
She is working to preserve Scotland's history and ensure its survival. Along the way, she is working to develop the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival into one of the premiere Juneteenth celebrations in the Washington area and enlisting an interfaith community to help preserve African American history.
“Montgomery Parks is proud to co-sponsor the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival at Cabin John Regional Park,” said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks. “We are honored to be part of this important event and to support this community. It’s sure to be a great event with a community service opportunity, kids’ carnival, and food that will provide fun for everyone on the holiday.”
Scotland Festival events will be held June 15-19 at several different locations. Visit the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival website for complete details.