ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) – Today is Juneteenth, an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The name is a nod to June 19, 1865, the day when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War.
The Albany Black Chamber of Commerce hosted a Juneteenth celebration to honor the history of Black culture here in the Capital Region in the form of a massive block party at Swinburne Park.
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“It is the marker that African-American slavery was at an end,” Albany Black Chamber of Commerce CEO Deshanna C. Wiggins explained. “However, that message did not carry right to those people for quite some time. So, this day is designated for us to commemorate and remember that history.”
Her sentiments were echoed by many, who said the day is about —…