Juneteenth celebrations continue in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  Over the weekend, folks came out to Robert Strange Park in Wilmington to celebrate Juneteenth, which marks the official end of slavery in the U.S.

While the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863, the news did not reach Texas until 1865. Slaves in that state were freed on June 19th of that year.

Holiday festivities have been taking place in Wilmington since Thursday, and it continued Saturday with live music, vendors, food trucks, and more.

Jessica Franks, who attended the celebration, says recognizing this event is very important to her.

“It means everything to me, seeing different cultures come together, seeing different people come together. Putting everyone’s differences aside just to come and celebrate what our ancestors did for us. They didn’t even know who we were, they didn’t even know that we would be here today, but the fact that they actually came together to fight for us means the world,” said Franks.

The Juneteenth festivities continued Sunday with a film festival at UNCW.