To celebrate Juneteenth and remember the life of George Floyd, Manhattan residents Jaynae Cole, Teresa Parks and Rebecca Gould organized a march and flashlight vigil on Friday.
The events begin with a march from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Triangle Park. A flashlight vigil begins at 7 p.m. in City Park. Organizers ask attendees to wear masks, but there will be masks provided to those without masks.
“We planned this event … to educate the community on what black Americans’ independence really is,” Cole said.
The Facebook event says this is “[a]n opportunity to observe and reflect on the historical impact and significance of celebrating the official notification of liberation for the last slaves in Texas.”
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, former slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned about the end of the Civil War and their emancipation.
