Donald Hammonds talks during the Juneteenth potluck and singalong hosted by the Butler Clergy Network Anti-Racist Network Group at YWCA on Monday June 19, 2023 in Butler. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

The first Juneteenth potluck at the Butler YWCA on Monday evening, June 19, brought dozens of people across Butler County together in song to celebrate peace, unity and freedom.

“We have a fabulous turnout. We're so excited. People are all meeting one another, which is fabulous,” said Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer, of the B’nai Abraham synagogue, one of the organizers of the event. “You can see the success. We’ve pretty much filled every table.

For the first 45 minutes, guests socialized over food, which was prepared and brought by the public. The Rev. Donald Hammonds of the Community of Reconcilliation Church in Pittsburgh opened the event with a speech on the significance of Juneteenth.