Juneteenth, recalling end of slavery, is marked across US

APTOPIX_Juneteenth_Texas_41493 Dancer Prescylia Mae, of Houston, performs during a dedication ceremony for the massive mural "Absolute Equality" in downtown Galveston, Texas, Saturday, June 19, 2021. The dedication of the mural, which chronicles the history and legacy of Black people in the United States, was one of several Juneteenth celebrations across the city. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
APTOPIX_Juneteenth_Texas_02141 Opal Lee, 94, walks towards downtown Fort Worth, Texas from Evans Avenue Plaza during the first nationally recognized Juneteenth holiday on Saturday, June 19, 2021. Lee makes the 2.5-mile walk to symbolize the two and a half years it took for slaves in Texas to realize they had been freed. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)
APTOPIX_Juneteenth_Wisconsin_10281 Little Miss Juneteenth is seen during the Juneteenth Day Parade and Celebration on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Milwaukee. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (Ebony Cox/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)
Juneteenth_Detroit_32021 Students from University Prep Art Design celebrate Juneteenth by repainting a street mural, "Power To The People," in downtown Detroit on Saturday, June 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ed White)
Juneteenth_Texas_94626 Opal Lee, 94, reacts to one of the many signs held by those participating in her annual Juneteenth walk on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. Lee has been advocating for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday for many years and succeeded in her goal when President Joe Biden signed a bill on Thursday, making Juneteenth a national holiday. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)
Juneteenth_Texas_00043 Community members march through Fort Worth's Historic Southside during Opal Lee's annual Juneteenth walk on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. Lee has been advocating for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday for many years and succeeded in her goal when President Joe Biden signed a bill on Thursday, making Juneteenth a national holiday. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)
Juneteenth_Texas_42813 Opal Lee, 94, walks towards downtown during the first nationally recognized Juneteenth holiday on Saturday, June 19, 2021 In Fort Worth, Texas. Lee makes the 2.5-mile walk to symbolize the two and a half years it took for slaves in Texas to realize they had been freed. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)
Juneteenth_New_York_74651 People attend a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League as celebrations during Juneteenth take place at Times Square Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_43165 Selena Quinn, from left, LaVon Fisher-Wilson and Traci Coleman perform during a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League as Juneteenth's celebrations take place at Times Square Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_56687 People try to see a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League as celebrations take place during Juneteenth at Times Square on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_14972 People attend a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League during Juneteenth celebrations at Times Square on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_04288 People watch a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League during Juneteenth celebrations at Times Square on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_80939 Women wait to perform during a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League during Juneteenth celebrations at Times Square on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Juneteenth_New_York_74777 People wait to perform during a free outdoor event organized by The Broadway League during Juneteenth celebrations at Times Square on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in New York. Parades, picnics and lessons in history marked Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S., a day that marks the arrival of news to enslaved Black people in a Texas town that the Confederacy had surrendered in 1865 and they were free. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
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Parades, picnics and lessons in history were offered Saturday to commemorate Juneteenth in the U.S., a day that carried even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to observe the end of slavery.

A new 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 about 80% Black, students from University Prep Art & Design 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 had surrendered. It was 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, the government observed the holiday 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 last year in Minneapolis.

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 2 1/2 years it took for slaves in Texas to find out they had been freed.

Officials in Bristol, Rhode Island, 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, Florida, 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, Illinois, 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.”

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Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle, Kelli Kennedy, David Sharp, Julie Walker and Daisy Nguyen contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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