19 June 2020 at 12:00AM
Juneteenth 2020
Each year, June 19 signifies the celebration of the end of slavery in the USA.
According to Juneteenth.com, "Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863."
Rochester holds annual events each year, some of which are cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus. The Roc Juneteenth 5K is run every year - this year done indivudally and to raise money for Rochester's first Civil Right Heritage site.
Want to know more history about Juneteenth? Go to juneteenth.com or https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/.
