The country is observing Juneteenth today for the first time as a federal holiday. The holiday commemorates June 19th, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas found out they were free – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had freed them.
Organizers of the annual Juneteenth celebration in Anchorage say the new recognition will help more Alaskans understand the significance of the day.
The celebration will take place at the Northway Mall tomorrow from 1-6pm.
Jasmin Smith helped organize the event. She says a group raised the Juneteenth flag at city hall earlier this week, something that had never been done before in Anchorage.
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Learn more about what Anchorage Juneteenth celebrations on the Juneteenth Anchorage Facebook page.
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
