RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Two Richmond churches congregated on Broad Street to celebrate Juneteenth, one year after it was officially established as a federal holiday.
The congregation of Saint Peter’s and Saint John’s churches in Richmond marched along Broad Street on Sunday, June 19 to celebrate Juneteenth, the anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
After the march, the participants gathered for games, food and worship.
Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas where, in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger and his men marched through the city to inform the people of Texas that the enslaved were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, with the ratification of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
