‘This represents freedom today’: Bay Area celebrates Juneteenth, hopes holiday becomes day of education
TAMPA, Fla. - It’s recognition that’s long overdue. Saturday marks the 156th anniversary of the end of slavery. It’s known as Juneteenth, and it’s been celebrated for decades by Black communities across the nation.
However, on Thursday, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law recognizing Juneteenth as a national, federal holiday, commemorating June 19, 1865.
"The slaves in the US actually were free on January the first of 1863, but the slaves in Galveston, Texas did not find that out until 2.5 years later on June 19, 1865. That’s what it’s about," said Greshun De Bouse, an activist visiting St. Petersburg over the weekend.
On Saturday, celebrations across the Bay Area highlighted the importance of the new holiday, including the Juneteenth Business Expo in St. Petersburg, which featured more than 100 black-owned businesses.
"We were throwing this event either way whether it was a national holiday or not. So to hear this was a national holiday, it gave us something to look forward to, something to celebrate," said Melissa Gardner, the owner of Three Generations Food Truck and one of the founders of Saturday’s business expo.
But local leaders hope the community recognizes Juneteenth as more than just a day of celebration, but also as a day to learn the history behind Freedom Day.
READ Juneteenth to be celebrated with an eye toward more meaningful change
"It is my hope and my dream that this doesn’t just become a day of celebration, festivals, picnics, you know? But it becomes a day where we actually sit down and educate everyone on this part of history," said Yvette Lewis, the Hillsborough County NAACP President.
There is much to celebrate, but local leaders say there’s still more work to be done.
But area leaders hope the community recognizes Juneteenth as more than just a day of celebration, but also as a day to learn the history behind Freedom Day.
"It is my hope and my dream that this doesn’t just become a day of celebration, festivals, picnics, you know? But it becomes a day where we actually sit down and educate everyone on this part of history," shared Yvette Lewis, president of Hillsborough County NAACP.
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