Juneteenth was celebrated from the beginning in Texas, where the last slaves of the United States were freed on June 19, 1865, when the northern states took control of the city of Galveston, but is now a national concern.

The day, also known as "Freedom Day" or "Liberation Day", became an official holiday in Texas in 1980 and since then another 44 states have followed suit. Juneteenth, however, is not a national holiday.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced as of today that juneteenth from next year will be an official holiday even in New York, where thousands of people have gathered during the day to hold events.

"We have never been free"

During a keynote speech, African American New York politician Laurie Cumbo spoke about the importance of juneteenth:

- We have never been really free in the US. But that is what this movement is about today, it is a reminder that we are not free, there is so much work left to be done.

Eric Adams, a local politician in Brooklyn, also spoke about why June 19 is being noted:

- True liberation is something that must be realized in this country.

Trump canceled

The day is usually celebrated with parades, marches and festivals, but this year large demonstrations are also expected around the US. This in the wake of the global protests against police brutality and racism now held in the name of the Black Lives Matter movement and which has been going on since 46-year-old George Floyd was killed during a police raid in Minneapolis in May.

This year, the day has also received extra attention after President Donald Trump chose June 19 as the day to resume his mass meetings ahead of this fall's presidential election. This, along with the site of the first meeting, Tulsa, Oklahoma, led to protests and Trump later chose to postpone his meeting one day.

Raskravaller

That the exact date of June 19 in combination with the city of Tulsa caused many to protest is because the place is associated with one of the worst examples of racial violence in the United States.

In 1921, several hundred blacks were killed in Tulsa by a racist mob who pulled through and burned down parts of the Greenwood District, also known as "Black Wall Street," in what later became known as "The Tulsa race massacre."