WEST PALM BEACH — Monday is Juneteenth, a federal holiday to commemorate the day the Black community was freed from slavery. Many in downtown West Palm Beach gathered Saturday afternoon ahead of the holiday with the hope of leaving an impact locally.
The third annual Juneteenth Unity and Black Excellence Festival celebrated Black culture, music and food at Meyer Amphitheater.
Although this year marks only the third Juneteenth considered a national holiday, it has been commemorated for well over a century, celebrating when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned that they were emancipated.
"We still commemorate their perseverance, their tenacity, their strength, and their courage to move forward," Sukeenah Kelly, executive director of Juneteenth PBC, said.
Kelly is using this event to make sure all generations remember this crucial moment in history.
"We’re legacy carriers," Kelly said. "We carry torches."
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick participated in the festivities.
"It really is American history," Cherfilus-McCormick said. "Understanding how our entire country overcame is what we celebrate today. We’re just all together celebrating our unity and also the emancipation and our freedoms. And it’s important during a time like this that we remember who we are, that we are stronger together."
Although the rain stopped the festival for about an hour, it did not stop the celebrations.
