LIST: Juneteenth rallies, protests, and events planned around the D.C. area this Friday
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The nation and world will commemorate Juneteenth this Friday, June 19. The holiday recognizes the day in 1865 that Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War ended and that enslaved African Americans were now free. (Juneteenth occurred a little over two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.)
The celebration comes as demonstrations have taken place in the D.C. area and nationwide for nearly a month, with protesters calling for an end to police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
RELATED: What Juneteenth represents, celebrates and the push to make it an official holiday
Multiple protests, rallies, and events are planned for Friday in D.C. We've compiled a list below.
Labor March
Scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. at 815 Black Lives Matter Plaza.
“Though explicit slavery has been abolished, the exploitation of Black Labor continues to this day through a systematically racist economy designed to promote wage disparity in the workplace!” one flyer read.
“Join Workers throughout the Labor Movement as we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Movement for Black Lives and let our collective voices rise throughout Washington, D.C. to tear down the walls of structural racism in our economy," the flyer event added.
Strike for Black Lives
The website for this event says: "Attention all friends and accomplices! Let’s bring Washington, DC to a grinding halt on June 19th—Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. We are calling for disruptive actions aimed at shutting down the city: Strikes, sick-outs, blockades, occupations, and spontaneous marches: strikeforblacklives@riseup.net."
Read more about their demands and plans for "disruptive" actions HERE.
Six Nineteen: Defend Black Lives
This group lists several local events for its"6.19 Day of Action." Its demands are: defund the police, invest in Black communities, and for Donald Trump to resign. (There are also several virtual events.)
Click on the location for each event (below) to learn more.
Malcolm X Park (D.C)
Freedom Plaza (D.C.)
Freedom Plaza - I Love Being Black FlashMob (D.C.)
National Museum of African American History (D.C.)
Silver Spring Civic Center (Silver Spring, Md.)
James R. Cousins Municipal Center (Glenarden, Md.)
Northside Social Coffee & Wine (Arlington, Va.)
Black Students Matter
This group says: Join us at 10:00AM at Freedom Plaza to create your posters and signs!
At 11, we'll march to the Department of Education
At 11:30, we'll present our demands and hold a rally, featuring local students and educators.
At 12:45, we'll break into smaller groups to build intentional community around our demands and other things we feel a need to discuss as educators!
At 2:00, we'll start to clean up.
More HERE.
#DontMuteDC Juneteenth Protest
LongLiveGoGo Million Moe March
NW4BlackJustice Juneteenth Protest
Juneteenth Bike Ride For Racial Justice
"Join us for a 5-mile bike ride to honor the holiday, show community solidarity, and raise support for Fairfax NAACP's ongoing work for racial justice," the Facebook event page says. "Fairfax NAACP President Sean Perryman will give remarks."
Participants are encouraged to make a $20 donation to the Fairfax NAACP.
Ward 8 Peaceful March and Rally
"D.C. Ward 8 will honor and celebrate our ancestors and declare that Ward 8 will not be forgotten." The event will begin at 2208 MLK Jr. Ave SE. Free sign making will be available at 9 a.m. CLICK HERE to learn more information.
