Garden State Times

This Wednesday, the Board of Commissioners joined Mayor Victor Carstarphen to celebrate Juneteenth at Roosevelt Plaza Park. The celebration featured live music, food, and family activities.

“Juneteenth is a day of importance unlike any other; it’s the day America truly became America,” said Commissioner Al Dyer. “That was the day that all Americans became free and were guaranteed the pursuit of happiness.”

Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, which commemorates the day the last slaves were emancipated in the United States and slavery officially ended. Texas was the last state to hold out from emancipation and was host to 250,000 enslaved Black people until Juneteenth. The day is also known as Freedom Day or Black Independence Day.