Today marks the official Juneteenth holiday, though some events started over the weekend.
In Grand Rapids, Jewelynn Richardson helped lead a parade and celebration of Juneteenth. She’s been organizing the event for the past six years, and she says it’s grown.
“I feel so excited. I feel like there’s hope in the future. This is not about me, Mama Jewel, this is about our next generation to see the youth out here, for them to be able to learn about their culture, I am just glad to see that it is catching on. I used to be out here with just 10 of us. So now there’s more.” said Richardson.
Juneteenth marks the date in June of 1865 when Union Army soldiers arrived in Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. It was the date that many slaves first learned of their freedom.