Juneteenth celebrated at MLK Center

Members of the African American community in our area celebrated part of their history Saturday.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

In Wilmington, the community marked the day with a Juneteenth celebration at the Martin Luther King Center Park downtown.

The celebration included speakers, music, and fun for kids.

The organizing committee also crowned its “Miss Juneteenth.” She was selected based on an essay about what the day means to the community.

”Juneteenth basically means freedom and opportunity to me, because Juneteenth was the emancipation of all the slaves, and me being African American that’s very important to me,” said Nhandi Kenion, Miss Juneteenth.

“Those who don’t know their history, are doomed to repeat it, so it’s really important for us as a committee to bring awareness of Juneteenth to community at large,” said Audrey James, the Juneteenth committee secretary.

This year marks the 144th celebration of Juneteenth in the United States.