Happy Juneteenth: How the city of Alexandria is honoring the federal holiday
WASHINGTON - A range of events are scattered throughout the Washington Metropolitan area to help commemorate Juneteenth.
Notable celebrations have launched across the U.S. in cities like New York, Chicago and Atlanta since June 19th was declared a federal holiday just three years ago.
Our local communities are finding ways to celebrate and educate in areas once dominated by division.
The city of Alexandria is hosting a celebration of the music and traditions of Juneteenth. The gathering will take place in old town at Market Square, which once acted as a center for the Virginia slave trade.
The square served as an epicenter for the colonial slave market in Northern Virginia, according to the Washingtonian. The property on King Street was a place where slaves were auctioned, and families torn apart.
Alexandria was the home base for Isaac Franklin and John Armfield, two of the largest traders of enslaved African Americans in the nation between 1828 and 1836, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
Juneteenth 2024 celebrations and other things to do in DC, Maryland & Virginia
Celebrate Juneteenth in D.C. area with a number of planned events in honor of the holiday across the district.
Market Square now serves as home to Alexandria’s City Hall, a lively farmer’s market, and a gathering locale for annual holiday traditions.
Alexandria’s Juneteenth celebration will be filled with music and stories about both emancipation and the fight for equality.