(WXYZ) — Monday is Juneteenth, and people throughout the city will celebrate the holiday. It was on this date, June 19, 1865, when thousands of slaves in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed, some two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The federal holiday continues to grow in popularity across the country as a way to acknowledge how far Black people have come.
Celebrations happened throughout metro Detroit over the weekend in honor of Juneteenth, but they'll continue today in the area.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is holding a Juneteenth celebration from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m Monday. It will include music from DJ Righteous, MC J Bell, a diasporic drum, dance and folklore performance from Ngoma Za Amen-Ra and Alnur African Dance Company and more. There will also be food trucks, engagement from several organizations and more.
The Monroe Street Midway will also commemorate Juneteenth in Downtown Detroit with free family events. Those include live poetry performances, African and Drum performances, a bookstore pop-up from Source Booksellers, a live performance from the Detroit Youth Choir, free roller skating, basketball and much more. It's from 12 p.m to 9 p.m. Monday.
