Juneteenth marked across U.S. for 1st time as a federal holiday

Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations on Saturday in the United States, a day that carried even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.

A new national holiday was "really awesome. It's starting to recognize the African-American experience," said Detroit artist Hubert Massey, 63. "But we still have a long way to go."

In Detroit, which is 80 per cent Black, students from University Prep Art & Design High School dodged rain to repaint Massey's block-long message, "Power to the People," which was created last year on downtown Woodward Avenue.

The 'o'in "Power" was a red fist in memory of George Floyd and other victims of excessive force by police, Massey said.

"We did the original," said Olivia Jones, 15, leaning on a long paint roller. "It's important that we return and share that same energy."

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas two months after the Confederacy surrendered in the Civil War and about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Southern states.

Biden on Thursday signed a bill creating Juneteenth National Independence Day. Since June 19 fell on a Saturday this year, the U.S. government observed the holiday on Friday.

At least nine states have designated it in law as an official paid state holiday, all but one acting after Floyd, a Black man, was killed in Minneapolis by a police officer in May 2020.

WATCH | Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday:

Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a national holiday in the U.S.

3 years ago

Duration 2:00

U.S. President Joe Biden signs bill making June 19th a national holiday. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when legal enslavement of African Americans was abolished. But there are divisions over whether this goes far enough to heal racial conflict.

In Galveston, the birthplace of the holiday, celebrations included the dedication of a 5,000-square-foot mural titled "Absolute Equality."

Opal Lee, 94, who was at Biden's side when he signed the bill, returned to Fort Worth, Texas, to lead a 2.5-mile walk symbolizing the time it took for slaves in Texas to be told they'd been freed.

Officials in Bristol, R.I., unveiled a marker that describes the seaport's role in the slave trade. The marker was placed at the Linden Place Museum, a mansion built by Gen. George DeWolf, who was a slave trader. The Rhode Island Slave History Medallion organization raises public awareness about the state's role in slavery.

A street in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was renamed Saturday for civil rights activists Harry and Harriette Moore. Harry was credited with registering more than 100,000 Black voters. They were killed on Christmas Day 1951 their 25th wedding anniversary when a bomb exploded under their bed.

The final scene of a movie about the couple, The Price For Freedom,was also being shot.

"They were ordinary people who brought about extraordinary change, and we are privileged to pay tribute to them here in Broward County," county commissioner Dale V.C. Holness said before the event.

Hundreds of people gathered for a free concert in New York's Times Square organized by The Broadway League, the trade group for the Broadway entertainment industry.

At dusk, the Empire State Building brightened the sky with red, black and green lights to mark the day as it turned to night. Lights were used in similar fashion at other New York state landmarks including the World Trade Center, Niagara Falls and the Albany International Airport Gateway.

A Juneteenth parade was held in Evanston, Ill., a Chicago suburb that is using tax revenue from marijuana sales to offer housing grants to Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery.

Sacramento's Black community has organized Juneteenth festivals for 20 years, and this year's featured a parade, talent show, food fair, the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation and even a golf tournament.

"This is the first Juneteenth where it's being recognized nationally and socially, by the masses and not just within the Black community," organizer Gary Simon said. "We've seen an uptick in non-Black folks coming here for the last several years, and I'm seeing the difference in just the conversations taking place today."

New York civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton offered a tough message during a speech at his National Action Network, saying Senate Republicans who voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a federal holiday should also support Democratic bills that change voting laws and make it easier to crack down on rogue police officers.

"The celebration of Juneteenth is not a party.... The way to deal with Juneteenth now is to deal with where race is in 2021," Sharpton said.

In Portland, Maine, Joe Kings said his great-great-great-grandmother was enslaved. He has a picture of her on the wall of his auto detailing shop. As he has for years, Kings commemorated Juneteenth with barbecue for adults and activities for kids.

"It's a little bit more celebratory knowing that it's official," Kings said, referring to his annual tradition and the new holiday. "I'm not saying we were in the closet about it, but now it's more widely recognized and more importantly understood."