DENVER — A parade celebrating Juneteenth will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in Denver.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.
The Juneteenth 2020 Parade will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at Manual High School, located at 1700 E. 28th Ave. in Denver.
According to a description of the event, “this is an opportunity to support black businesses that may be there or in the area and to enjoy an impactful event.”
Temperatures are expected to hover in the mid 80s with lots of sun during the parade Saturday, so bring water and sunscreen if you’re planning to stay outside for an extended amount of time.
READ MORE: The numbers behind Juneteenth
On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Texas to share the news that the war had ended and all enslaved people were free. Texas was the final Confederate state to receive the orders from the proclamation. That date — June 19 — led to the creation of the word Juneteenth.
Since then, almost every state in the country — including Colorado — has passed laws or resolutions celebrating Juneteenth. Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday, which occurred in 1979.