Juneteenth memorial ceremony held at Wilmington National Cemetery

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Juneteenth is just a few days away, but some organizations couldn’t wait. One event held Monday in the Port City paid tribute to the United States Colored Troops. 

The National Black Leadership Caucus Southeastern Region held a memorial tribute at the Wilmington National Cemetery this Monday morning. There are around 500 troop members buried at the cemetery. 

Members of the community were in attendance, including VFW Post 12196 Leland and Representative Deb Butler. 

Civil Rights Activist Sonya Patrick said Monday holds great meaning to her. 

“We do honor the bravery of our United States Colored Troops and they beat the Confederate so bad; they hadn’t gotten over it in 150 years. But ‘before I be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave, and I’m going to take somebody with me,’” Patrick said. 

Juneteenth celebrates the day former slaves in Texas during the Civil War learned they were free. President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021.