San Francisco held its fourth annual Juneteenth Parade and celebration on Saturday.
The parade moved down Market Street, with people walking, riding on floats and cruising in classic cars.
“I have lived in the Bay Area for about seven years, and I always love to participate in these kinds of things,” Jessica said.
The annual parade in the city began after Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, meaning this is its fourth year. Mayor Daniel Lurie was among the city officials present in the celebration.
“Proud to be down here on Market Street celebrating Juneteenth our black our Black community is so critical so important to the vibrancy of San Francisco you are seeing it, it show off today,” Lurie said.
“Were celebrating Juneteenth you guys we’re here for Freedom then, Freedom now, still representing our ancestors,” event producer for Juneteenth Tamara Walker said.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when enslaved people in 1865 learned of their freedom, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Walker says it’s important for the community to remember the past to move towards the future.
“Freedom then, freedom now means that we are still fighting now for equality, equity,” she said.
In the city, people came together to honor the past and celebrate the present.