Kisha Witty, Full Expression Belly Dance Instructor, attended the Juneteenth Community Celebration at Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, Colorado. The event featured a Juneteenth celebration highlighting a vendor market owned by Black entrepreneurs alongside food trucks, live entertainment, community art projects, and face painting activities.
June 19 or Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a federally recognized holiday that marks what is known as America's Second Independence Day. On this day in 1865, the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was issued at the conclusion of the Civil War.
Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family-friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall. Visitors were welcomed with music, athletic activities, arts and crafts, and vendors representing their small businesses.
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Juneteenth Committee Co-Chair Bridgette Johnson greets one of the volunteers after a very successful day at Community Celebration at Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Godwin Abotsi, 44, Artistic Director at Dance Afrik at the Community Celebration at Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Austin Bimper, 6 years-old, has his face painted at the Community Celebration at Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Matlie Paul, owner of Koko FitClub, led a class at Foothills at the Community Celebration.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Dance Afrik performing during the Juneteenth Community Celebration at Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Portrait of Kisha Witty, Full Expression Belly Dance Instructor, at the Community Celebration at Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, Colorado, featuring a Juneteenth celebration highlighting a vendor market owned by Black and Brown entrepreneurs, alongside food trucks, live entertainment, community art projects, and face painting activities.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
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Many area communities mark the holiday on the day or leading up to it. This past weekend Fort Collins residents enjoyed a family friendly weekend of activities at the Foothills Mall.
Jimena Peck / KUNC
The photography in this story is funded by the Reflecting Colorado Photo Desk grant. KUNC, with support from the Colorado Media Project, aims to diversify visual storytelling by showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of the Centennial State. The Photo Desk project is a step towards embracing digital innovation and fostering inclusivity in storytelling.
For the observation of the federal holiday, we hear from Nathan Connolly, an associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, about the Emancipation Proclamation, and NPR staff read it.
On this Juneteenth, NPR is marking the day in 1865 when Union forces arrived in Texas with the news that slavery had been abolished two years earlier with a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.
On Sunday, churchgoers will celebrate Juneteenth during their worship services. Members of the clergy reflect on the role of the church and the holiday marking the notification of the end of slavery.
Monday marks the Juneteenth holiday — a date commemorating the fall of slavery in the United States. While it's a new federal holiday, it's been celebrated since the 1860s.
