Juneteenth flag raising kicks off four days of celebration

Undeterred by the heat, the City of Fresno marked Juneteenth connected Thursday.

"The combat for our state has been and volition everlastingly be, a waiting to excel moment," said Lady K, Poet.

The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved radical successful the United States, went into effect January 1, 1863, but it would instrumentality respective much years for African Americans surviving successful Texas to larn of their close to freedom.

It took the Union Army's accomplishment successful Galveston connected June 19th, 1865, for the bid to beryllium enforced.

"Two years precocious for freedom, 2 centuries overdue," said Lady K.

The time has been recognized arsenic a nationalist vacation since 2021.

With national bans of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, for some, marking Juneteenth carried much value this year.

"I deliberation its much important present than ever," said Pastor Booker T. Lewis, Mayor's Office Community Affairs Liason. "I deliberation patriotism, American patriotism, is important, but successful Americ,a you person radical that travel from truthful galore antithetic backgrounds... We privation to observe being portion of this country, but we besides don't privation radical to suffer their identity."

Starting with the emblem raising, the solemnisation this twelvemonth volition beryllium the biggest the metropolis has seen, with events spanning 4 days.

"Since this is simply a nationalist holiday, it's clip for america to bring thing bigger to the Central Valley," said Landon Green, The Freedom Groups. "This Juneteenth is the largest African American festival successful the Central Valley and what we wanted to bash was marque it adjacent much so."

The anticipation is to proceed increasing the solemnisation with the 2026 events lineup being adjacent bigger.

"The Juneteenth Experience," presented by "The Freedom Groups", has respective much events planned done Sunday.

If you would similar to instrumentality portion cheque retired their lineup with times and locations astatine fresnojuneteenth.com