Home Lifestyle Juneteenth celebrated in Rockingham

Juneteenth celebrated in Rockingham

ROCKINGHAM — The James C. and Ruth P. Watkins Cultural Center (formerly Leak Street Educational and Cultural Center) held a Juneteenth festival Monday, June 20 to honor the federal holiday.

Several vendors were on site, along with live performers.

What is Juneteenth and why is it celebrated?

Juneteenth is also known as “Emancipation Day” or “Freedom Day.”

It commemorates June 19, 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and gave word to enslaved African Americans that they were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Advertisements

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.