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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH -- The City of Cleveland Heights is thrilled to announce it will host a parade honoring Laila Edwards, who shattered color lines as the first Black woman to skate for Team USA Women’s Hockey, contributing to the team’s Gold Medal run at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, on Sunday, June 14 at 10 am in Edwards’ hometown of Cleveland Heights!
The parade, which will start at Lee Boulevard at Forest Hill Park and process to the Community Center, coincides with the City’s Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 13 from 11 am to 4 pm at Cain Park. This year’s Juneteenth event is themed, “Free to Be…” and will feature live performances, music, dance, art making, family friendly activities, food, and vendors. The Juneteenth theme of liberation and Black excellence is embodied by Edwards who famously encouraged children who see her as a role model to “dream big, little ones.”
At the parade, Ms. Edwards will attend and act as Grand Marshal. Edwards was raised in Cleveland Heights and honed her craft on the city’s ice rink at the Community Center. Like the theme of Juneteenth, the parade’s theme will be “Dream Big” inspiring children to draw from community leaders and family members in reaching for their dreams, like Laila.
More details including the parade route will follow. Once the route has been finalized, residents along the route should expect police-led road closures for a period of two hours. For more details of the Juneteenth weekend in Cleveland Heights – the celebration on June 13 and the parade on June 14 – please contact: press@clevelandheights.org
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