The Bowling Green Freedom Walkers held a Family and Friend’s Unity Day on the north side of Preston S. Miller Park to showcase local Black-owned businesses and to educate people about the Freedom Walkers. 

Several Black small business owners toted tables, chairs, and pop-up canopies onto the grass on either side of a walking-path through the park, where they set up to sell boutique clothing, fragrances, candles, jewelry and crafts.

In a covered picnic pavilion nearby, guests visited and treated themselves to lemonade, hotdogs, burgers, pizza, fried catfish and french fries from local vendors.

“Bowling Green Freedom Walkers, [stands for] peace, love, diversity and unity,” Karika Nelson, director of the Bowling Green Freedom Walkers said.

Representatives from a local foster care system, the Girl Scouts and a local church set up tables by the walk-path.

“Today is basically an event to bring family and friends out of Bowling Green Freedom Walkers and people who don’t know us that wanna get to know us, that would like to be a part helping out, being a member or volunteer, to show love and peace and unity today,” Nelson said. 

A small speaker line-up of local politicians materialized at the event over the course of the afternoon, including Plum Springs City Commissioner William Compton, Bowling Green City Commissioner Carlos Bailey, 20th-district State Representative Patti Minter, and Charles Booker—former member of Kentucky House of Representatives—who is running for the Senate against Republican Rand Paul. 

Booker, when asked about the commonalities between the causes of BG Freedom Walkers’ platform and his own, stated that they both held a focus on creating systemic change.

Arthur Trickett-Wile can be reached at [email protected]