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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Community members, religion leaders, and metropolis officials gathered successful Downtown Fresno Thursday greeting to commemorate Juneteenth — the country’s newest national vacation — with a flag-raising ceremonial successful beforehand of City Hall.
The lawsuit marked the authoritative kickoff to a play of celebrations honoring the extremity of slavery successful the United States and the ongoing contributions of the Black community.
“Well, what’s happening present contiguous is that we are commemorating our astir caller nationalist holiday, which is Juneteenth,” said Pastor BT Lewis of Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church.
Recognized nationally successful 2021, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 — the time enslaved African Americans successful Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, 2 years aft the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Juneteenth is important successful our community, has been ever since 1885,” Pastor Lewis said. “It marks the existent independency of slaves… particularly those successful Galveston.”
Beyond the history, Pastor Lewis emphasized the idiosyncratic transportation galore successful the assemblage consciousness to the day.
“This time truly marks independency for galore of our families and galore radical that are descendants of slavery successful this community,” helium said.
As the Juneteenth emblem was raised, the lawsuit became some a reflection connected the past and a solemnisation of progress.
“We ever perceive astir the atrocious things, but we besides request to assistance up the greatness of our assemblage and the radical successful our community,” Pastor Lewis said.
Dr. Ginger Morgan, representing Harvest of Harmony, besides spoke astatine the event, reminding attendees that Juneteenth is astir much than conscionable emancipation — it’s astir the enduring bequest of Black leaders and trailblazers.
“Juneteenth is establishing that the state wasn’t conscionable fixed to us,” she said. “But it's a state that was fixed done those trailblazers that went earlier us.”
“Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Frederick Douglass — each these radical that went earlier us. Not conscionable what they stood for, but what they believed in,” Morgan added.
As the Juneteenth emblem billowed supra City Hall, Morgan reflected connected the advancement it represents.
“Those that made that pathway for america truthful that we tin decorativeness school, spell to college, truly basal for what we judge successful — which is freedom.”
For a database of each Fresno Juneteenth events, click here.
