ROCKINGHAM — Thomasi McDonald strapped on a drum for a performance Saturday during the second annual Juneteenth celebration.
McDonald, a Richmond County native, spent two decades as a reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer and now writes for INDY Week in Durham.
Juneteenth, federally recognized on June 19, memorializes the day in 1865 when a Union general delivered the news of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas — nearly three years after being announced by President Abraham Lincoln — and demanded that slaves be set free.
The event was held at the James C. and Ruth P. Watkins (formerly Leak Street) Education and Cultural Center.
Aside from the food and craft vendors, Alcohol and Drug Services brought in the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer, where Patrick Valentino showed parents and grandparents different places children might hide drugs.
Another Juneteenth event was held in Dobbins Heights.
See more photos from the event below.
