Fourth annual Juneteenth Block Party celebrates freedom
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The fourth annual Juneteenth Block Party is happening at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell until 9 p.m., celebrating the freedom of enslaved people in the country.
Juneteenth, which is also a federal holiday, has drawn out sizable crowds to the block party as attendees commemorate the day enslaved Black people in Texas were freed in 1865. The freedom did not occur until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
A guide to what the Juneteenth holiday is and how to celebrate it
For organizers, the event serves as a joyful tribute for the historic day.
“It’s important to me because back in the day there was slavery and Texas didn’t know we were free for two whole years,” said event volunteer Zaniyah Smith. “So when Juneteenth happened, they finally knew they were free and to me that means everything because my people were free and they didn’t know that they were free so today we’re here to celebrate being free.”
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The block party is complete with live music, scores of vendors, food, games and more, in what organizers describe as “the biggest Black celebration in the islands.”
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