Juneteenth flag raising kicks off four days of celebration

Undeterred by the heat, the City of Fresno marked Juneteenth on Thursday.

"The fight for our freedom has been and will forever be, a waiting to excel moment," said Lady K, Poet.

The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in the United States, went into effect January 1, 1863, but it would take several more years for African Americans living in Texas to learn of their right to freedom.

It took the Union Army's arrival in Galveston on June 19th, 1865, for the order to be enforced.

"Two years late for freedom, two centuries overdue," said Lady K.

The day has been recognized as a national holiday since 2021.

With federal bans of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, for some, marking Juneteenth carried more weight this year.

"I think its more important now than ever," said Pastor Booker T. Lewis, Mayor's Office Community Affairs Liason. "I think patriotism, American patriotism, is important, but in Americ,a you have people that come from so many different backgrounds... We want to celebrate being part of this country, but we also don't want people to lose their identity."

Starting with the flag raising, the celebration this year will be the biggest the city has seen, with events spanning four days.

"Since this is a national holiday, it's time for us to bring something bigger to the Central Valley," said Landon Green, The Freedom Groups. "This Juneteenth is the largest African American festival in the Central Valley and what we wanted to do was make it even more so."

The hope is to continue growing the celebration with the 2026 events lineup being even bigger.

"The Juneteenth Experience," presented by "The Freedom Groups", has several more events planned through Sunday.

If you would like to take part check out their lineup with times and locations at fresnojuneteenth.com