JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thousands gathered at Daily’s Place on Saturday for Jacksonville’s Juneteenth Celebration.
The faith-based concert and exhibition was sponsored by One Place Ministries, Inc. and City Councilman Reggie Gaffney.
The free event was open to the entire Jacksonville community and featured vendors and live performances from national gospel artists and local talent.
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The organizers said the goal of the celebration was to “create a unified environment that will recognize and heighten awareness of this monumental event in African American history, both culturally and spiritually.”
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President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to make Juneteenth, or June 19, a federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
June 19, 2022, marks 157 years since enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, officially received word that they were free – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.