People took to the streets across the country Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth - for the first time in history this year as a federal holiday.
In New York, Senator Chuck Schumer and mayoral candidate Eric Adams joined a Brooklyn march and in Atlanta people lined the boulevards watching step dances and jazz bands - while Tulsa residents have come together for community yoga.
Americans nationwide commemorated the official end of slavery in the US with a series of monumental events Saturday including marches, parades and community events.
In New York City, Senate Majority Leader Schumer sported a black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Juneteenth' as he addressed crowds at a rally outside the Brooklyn Library.
Adams, who is thought to be the front-runner in the race for the city, also attended the rally in Brooklyn, posing for photos and waving at other people who turned out to celebrate the day.
His appearance came days after George Floyd's brother Terrence endorsed the former NYPD officer calling him 'the racial justice leader we need right now.'
Thousands of Atlantans came out to watch the Juneteenth Parade as it marched from the Martin Luther King Center through downtown Atlanta to Centennial Olympic Park
The parade route went through downtown Atlanta to Centennial Olympic Park
Jazz bands lined the streets in celebration of Juneteenth in Atlanta - with people looking on and enjoying the scenes
Protests also were part of the day, with some marching against gun violence within the community in Atlanta
Step dancers also strutted through the streets during Atlanta's Juneteenth parade - where rain didn't put a damper on things
Dancers covered themselves in ponchos and kept smiles on their faces throughout the Atlanta march for Juneteenth
Those with longstanding ties to the community also marched in traditional garb for the Juneteenth celebration in Atlanta
Fun cars were part of the parade through Atlanta streets
Jazz bands marked time as people gathered in Atlanta to celebrate the holiday
Motorcycles and music groups promoting their albums were part of the celebration in Atlanta
The festivities were guarded by men in berets with guns; it wasn't clear their exact identities
Elsewhere in the city, Terrence attended the unveiling of a George Floyd statue in Flatbush Saturday morning in honor of the black man whose murder by a white cop on Memorial Day 2020 sparked a racial justice movement nationwide.
And in Atlanta, people lined the streets for a parade - where step dance troupes, jazz bands and floats moved through the avenues.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Thursday, declaring Saturday the first Juneteenth National Independence Day as he vowed not to 'rest until the promise of equality if fulfilled for every one of us in every corner of this nation.'
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the US, with its name stemming from June 19 1865 when the last group of enslaved African Americans learned of their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Senator Chuck Schumer (above) and mayoral candidate Eric Adams have joined New Yorkers in a Brooklyn march Saturday
In New York City, Senate Majority Leader Schumer addressed sported a black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Juneteenth' as he addressed crowds at a rally outside the Brooklyn Library
People take part in a Juneteenth rally at Brooklyn Library on Saturday to celebrate the official end of slavery in the US
The dance group PUSH (Practice until Something Happens) take part in a Juneteenth Rally in Brooklyn Saturday
New Yorkers gather for a Juneteenth rally in Brooklyn Saturday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans
New York City Mayoral candidate Eric Adams, who has been endorsed by George Floyd's brother, also attended the rally in Brooklyn
Adams, a former New York Police Department officer, is thought to be the frontrunner in the mayoral race for the city
NASA even got involved in the celebrations from space, sharing this image from space of Galveston, Texas, shining bright at night. Galveston was the place where the last enslaved people learned they were free under the Emancipation Proclamation
Concerts, rallies, art displays and protests took place across the US Saturday, setting off the biggest day of events and commemorations for Juneteenth in American history.
More than 800 companies publicly committed to observe the day, almost double the number that had joined the pledge last year, while many more are thought to have made last-minute plans to give their employees the day off after the day became a federal holiday for the first time.
Opal Lee, the 94-year-old woman who has fought for years for Juneteenth to be recognized as a federal holiday, joined community members on a march through Fort Worth's Historic Southside in Texas.
Lee is known as the 'grandmother of Juneteenth' and has organized the annual event for years.
Over in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Juneteenth Festival was held to bring the community together including a community yoga class alongside Interstate 244.
In Atlanta, a march was planned starting from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. preached and led protests for voting rights, equal access to public services, and social and economic justice.
NASA even got involved in the celebrations from space, sharing an image from space of Galveston, Texas shining bright at night.
Galveston was the place where the last enslaved people learned they were free under the Emancipation Proclamation.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz tweeted in celebration of the day. 'Today is Juneteenth, a special celebration of the fact that our country strives each and every day to make good on its promise to protect the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all men and all women who are created equal,' he wrote.
Earlier Saturday, a six-foot wooden statue of George Floyd was unveiled at Brooklyn's Flatbush Junction in NYC.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, people practice yoga during a community yoga class alongside Interstate 244 during the Juneteenth Festival
Marlon F. Hall instructs a community yoga class alongside Interstate 244 on June 19 as the community comes together
Children paint at the arts and crafts table during the All Nations Worship Assembly Russell neighborhood for Juneteenth
Community members march through Fort Worth's Historic Southside during Opal Lee's annual Juneteenth walk
Lee took part in the rally from Evans Avenue Plaza. Lee has spent years fighting for Juneteenth to be celebrated as a federal holiday
Opal Lee, 94, reacts to one of the many signs held by those participating in her annual Juneteenth walk in Fort Worth, Texas
The statue, created by Chris Carnabuci, will stand for around three weeks before being moved to Union Square in Manhattan.
Floyd's brother Terrence Floyd attended the unveiling, kneeling in front of the likeness of his brother and bowing his head as he grew emotional.
The crowd chanted 'We are Floyd' as Terrence urged people not to 'forget or it will happen again' and welcomed American rapper to write a message on the base of the statue.
'George Floyd was hunted, knees were used to prey... in life we should only use knees to pray,' Papoose was seen painting on the side of the statue's base.
Terrence Floyd looks on as a new statue called 'Floyd' is unveiled by the artist Chris Carnabuci on Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn
People gathered to watch the unveiling of the statue of George Floyd's face which also marked the start of Juneteenth 2021
A George Floyd statue was unveiled in Flatbush, New York City, Saturday morning in honor of the black man whose murder by a white cop last Memorial Day sparked a racial justice movement nationwide
In New York City, a six-foot statue of George Floyd was unveiled early Saturday morning at Brooklyn's Flatbush Junction
Floyd's brother Terrence Floyd attended the unveiling, giving a speech to the crowds of people who gathered
Terrence Floyd attends an event for the erection of a statue honoring his brother George Floyd in Flatbush Saturday
Terrence also left a message on the base of the statue reading: 'Pay attention and continue to keep my big brother's name ringing in the ears of everyone.'
Floyd was murdered on Memorial Day 2020 when white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest over a suspected $20 counterfeit bill.
His death sparked protests demanding an end to systematic racism and police brutality and renewed calls to sign Juneteenth into law as a federal holiday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the Big Apple's weekend of Juneteenth events Friday night as he and First Lady Chirlane McCray attended a block party in St. Nicholas Park in the Harlem neighborhood, organized by the Mayor's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity.
Terrence Floyd grows emotional as he takes in the wooden six foot statue of his brother George Floyd who was murdered by a white cop last year
Terrence leaves a message on the base of the statue: 'Pay attention and continue to keep my big brother's name ringing in the ears of everyone'
Terrence Floyd (second right) and the rapper Papoose (far right) at the unveiling of the statue Saturday morning in Flatbush
Terrence Floyd addresses the crowd urging people not to forget or what happened to his brother will 'happen again'
'Today is a day to celebrate the strength of our ancestors. Remembering what they went through helps us put our own lives in perspective,' McCray told attendees.
Other events include a 'Juneteenth in Queens' week-long festival of virtual panel discussions set to conclude on Saturday with food trucks of jerk chicken and waffles, BBQ, as well as in-person live performances.
The initiative is spearheaded by Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, who sponsored legislation last year that made Juneteenth a state holiday.
Over in Atlanta, people are holding a march to follow in MLK Jr.'s footsteps from the iconic Ebenezer Baptist Church as part of a series of festivities and parades in the city, which has celebrated Juneteenth for years.
Richard Rose, the president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, said this year's designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday resonates in the city often called the 'cradle of the civil rights movement.'
'While we celebrate, what we have to remember is that we must fight for our rights - in the ballot box, in the schools. And we have to stand up, city-to-city, across this nation,' Rose said.
In Stone Mountain, a village of about 6,500 people just 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, Juneteenth is being celebrated for the first time this year.
Looming over the village is a nine-story high bas-relief of Confederate figures carved into a sprawling rock face, the largest monument to the pro-slavery legacy of the US South.
Meanwhile, in Colorado a flyover has been organized to honor the legacy of aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman, who in 1921 became the first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license.
Deneen Smith, a 17-year-old Black high school student and aspiring pilot, is inspired by Coleman's story.
Mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the Big Apple's weekend of Juneteenth events Friday night as he and First Lady Chirlane McCray attended a block party in St. Nicholas Park in the Harlem neighborhood (above)
Dancers perform at the block party in Harlem Friday in celebration of Juneteenth which became a federal holiday
The block party in the heart of Harlem was organized by the Mayor's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity
'That's what Juneteenth means to me - independence and freedom for African Americans because of what our ancestors struggled through,' Smith said.
Over in Chicago, a dedicated 'March For Us' event will see demonstrators take a mile-long route in the city's business district known as the Loop.
'We celebrate Independence Day, so we would be remiss if we don't celebrate the day that people who were worth three-fifths of the person finally became free and started this journey towards equality,' said 'March for Us' organizer Ashley Munson.
Munson said that while strides have been made, recent incidents of police brutality toward black people and legislation in several US states that curtails voting rights show that much work still needs to be done.
Celebrations began in Florence, Alabama, Friday with a Juneteenth: Freedom Day Block Party outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse Friday where families gathered and musicians played the drums.
This year, Juneteenth will be commemorated with more in-person events, as the US emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and more Americans get vaccinated.
Hundreds of top companies also committed to giving their staff a paid holiday day Saturday to mark the day.
Families celebrate the Juneteenth: Freedom Day Block Party outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse Friday in Florence, Alabama
People play the drums at the Juneteenth: Freedom Day Block Party in Florence, Alabama, Friday as celebrations begin
A group of volunteers partnering with Grounded Strategies and Duquesne Light Company add a flower bed during a volunteer event in honor of Juneteeth, in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh Friday
Members of the Sankofa Dance & Drum Team perform at Point State Park for the Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Celebration on Friday
More than 800 companies publicly pledged to observe Juneteenth, according to HellaCreative, a group of black creative professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area that launched a campaign last year to build corporate support for making the June 19th an official holiday.
That is nearly double the number of companies that had joined the pledge last year.
Patagonia, the outdoor apparel retailer, closed all its US Saturday, and its corporate offices will also be closed Monday.
Other brands, including Target, JC Penney and Best Buy had pledged last year to adopt Juneteenth as a paid holiday, though they are keeping stores open.
Several major banks have also said employees will get a floating paid day off including JP Morgan Chase and UBS.
Wells Fargo said it will provide an additional personal holiday in 2021 to all eligible US based employees to commemorate Juneteenth.
Girls from a local black dance team perform during the annual Juneteenth block party at The Banks Friday in Cincinnati, Ohio
Harlem residents began celebrations in the New York City neighborhood with a block party put on by the city Friday
Dancers perform in Harlem Friday to local residents as they celebrate the day when slavery officially ended in the US
Many companies, however, had little time to shuffle their holiday calendars given the last minute signing of the bill Thursday. Some offered employees a regular paid day off or promised to consider adding it to their calendars next year.
Nasdaq said its US exchange would stay open Friday and Monday "to maintain a fair and orderly market and to minimize operational risks" but that it would discuss its future holiday schedule with regulators and companies.
State governments that had not already declared Juneteenth a holiday were also scrambling to respond the new federal holiday.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that all state government offices will be closed Friday, superseding a state law signed just two days earlier that would have made June 19 a state holiday next year.
President Joe Biden put pen to paper at the White House on Thursday to sign the bill into law, with the first Juneteenth National Independence Day being observed on Saturday.
It has been celebrated annually and has gone through many iterations - including Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day, Emancipation Day.
It is not clear how it came to be called Juneteenth National Independence Day, but Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said that America only 'truly became the land of the free and the home of the brave' when Union Army General George Granger freed the last saves in Texas in 1865.
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