Compiled by Erica Wright
We asked Birmingham area residents, How has COVID-19 affected your plans for the July 4 holiday?
Neena Speer: “I wasn’t planning on celebrating it anyway. I celebrated June 19 or Juneteenth which is my black version of the Fourth of July, so being out and seeing the empowerment [of the celebration] and so many people has been peaceful.”
Amani Moore: “I would usually go out to a barbecue or cookout, go see the fireworks and different things like that but I won’t be doing that this year… I also opted to celebrate Juneteenth this year instead of the 4th of July, so all of the things I would normally do then, I did them on June 19.”
Lauren Wicks: “I was really hoping to travel home, I’m from Orlando, Florida originally, but I’m going to stay here instead. Flying still kind of scares me . . . so I’ll probably just stay here and go to the lake or somewhere with my immediate family.”
Natalia Hawthorne: “I hadn’t made any plans because . . . I don’t want to be around a lot of people right now. Normally, I have a lake trip planned with about 20 friends, I throw a party, it’s a big thing but with the uncertainty of everything right now I just decided to skip this year.”
