TAMPA, Fla. — June 19 is also known as Juneteenth-- the day in 1865 slaves in Texas were finally freed, almost two and half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This year, with protests continuing nationwide, Juneteenth is getting more attention than ever.
For the last few years, the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition has held a community awards ceremony, pageant and a big street fair to celebrate the holiday. It's also an opportunity to educate the community about the history of the day.
This year, they are still holding the pageant and you'll be able to watch it on Facebook live.
There is also an outdoor picnic planned for Saturday in Kings Forest park with several dozen vendors, but masks and social distancing will be encouraged. There will also be plenty of pictures and videos shared on the coalition's Facebook page.
It's not near the celebrations the coalition had planned, but secretary Jesse Quinn says the most important way you can celebrate is by learning the history and sharing it.
"I think it's a time to be around family, I think it's a time to rejoice in the country that we live in. I think we take it for granted sometimes, I think we take it for granted the things that have happened in our past and don't pass it down to our future."
Quinn says they have rescheduled the community awards ceremony and a stage production they had planned for later in the year. He says next year's Juneteenth is going to be bigger than ever with events planned all month long.
More information on the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition can be found here.
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