Why Is There A Huge Celebration in Cooke Park Saturday?

This Saturday is the 13th Annual Rochester Juneteenth event and it'll fill Cooke park! There's a big list of activities...food and drink vendors, entertainment from gospel choirs to R&B, dance, spoken word, and activities to make sure kids learn some vital history because it's the day to celebrate the USA's emancipation of slaves.

From the NAACP:

Today is the...the day that the Texan slaves found out they were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years after it happened. The 200,000 Texan slaves were the very last to be informed. Major General Gordon Granger and his Union soldiers delivered the news to the slaves and after that day it became a tradition for African Americans to celebrate freedom every year around this time.

CREDIT: Knufunk

I've never been to a Juneteenth celebration, but I'm going to make it this year so I can take part, pick up important info from the organization fair, and see one of Rochester's hottest bands, KnuFunk! I heard them last week at the Whistle Binkies Suicide Prevention Fundraiser and they were tight! (Listen Friday morning at 7:50 to hear their new song!)

Juneteenth is sponsored by the Rochester Branch of the NAACP. See their flyer by clicking HERE.