Durham holds Juneteenth celebration & flag-raising ceremony

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – On Monday, Durham County hosted its annual Juneteenth celebration in front of the Durham County Courthouse.

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The ceremony featured remarks from local community leaders, including Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams and U.S. Representative Valerie Foushee.

Among the speakers was representative Valerie Foushee. She spoke about what Juneteenth not only means to her, but to America as a whole.

“Juneteenth is not only a celebration of delayed freedom, but a reminder that America,” she said. “And in America, justice has always arrived only after Black people forced this nation to confront its own hypocrisy.”

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Durham mayor Leonardo Williams also spoke, calling for more effort towards promoting equity in healthcare, the justice system, and more.

The ceremony also featured musical performances, presentations of historic freedom documents, and the raising of the official Juneteenth flag by Buffalo Soldiers reenactors.

The flag will be on display at the courthouse from now until the official Juneteenth holiday on June 19.

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