A cheer erupted from the crowd of about 50 people gathered at City Park Friday afternoon as a flag — red and blue with a white star in the middle — reach the top of a tall, metal flag poll.

Most of the crowd held their own, miniature versions of the flag, waving them back and forth in celebration.

It was a moment of joy, but also a moment of remembrance. It was a declaration of freedom, but also a reminder that the fight for liberty and equality goes on.

The City of Reading celebrated Juneteenth on Friday with the raising of the official Juneteenth flag. The holiday marks the day — June 19, 1865 — when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform the slaves there of their emancipation.

The slaves in Galveston were the last to learn of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which two-and-a-half years earlier had freed all enslaved people in the United States.

Friday’s flag-raising served as a kick-off to a weekend filled with activities celebrating Juneteenth.

Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District, gives the keynote address during a Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony on Friday in City Park. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

During the ceremony, several local leaders spoke about meaning of Juneteenth and it’s impact on the country. They also spoke about how the holiday should serve as a call to action, reminding those in attendance that maintaining freedom takes constant vigilance.

Stacey Taylor, president of the NAACP Reading Branch, said that a key piece to the ongoing fight for freedom is voting, saying that generations of black people fought, bled and died so that their descendants would have the right to vote.

“Please, please, get out and vote this year,” she said, adding that she believes there has been an assault on peoples rights — particularly women’s reproductive rights — over the past few years. “Be a part of what’s going on. It’s critical, we have to get involved in the process.”

State Sen. Judy Schwank shared a similar sentiment, asking the crowd to imagine what life was like immediately after June 19, 1865. It was the Jim Crow era, she said, a time when the right to vote was striped from former slaves.

“That’s what this country did,” the Ruscombmanor Township Democrat said, describing it as stealing the right to vote from people. “We must never take that for granted.”

Schwank said that the country can do better. And while it is important to recognize the struggles of the past, she said, Juneteenth is also a time where it’s important to think about how we can improve the future.

State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, in rousing remarks that elicited cheers from the crowd, likewise stressed the power of voting. The Reading Democrat talked about Pennsylvania currently having its first female and second black speaker of the House of Representatives — Joanna McClinton.

“Representation matters,” she said.

Cepeda-Freytiz encouraged the crowd to make sure that children are educated about the importance of voting and having their voices heard. She said that although a lot of progress has been made, the fight for equality and equity is ongoing.

“There’s still so much work in front of us,” she said.

City Council member Wes Butler shared remarks also calling for action. But his plea was slightly different, slightly more directed.

Speaking about young black men in Reading and Berks County, he encouraged those at the ceremony to act when they see them traveling down the wrong path.

“Please, put our arm around them and guide them,” he said.

Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, during his remarks Friday, lauded the strength and enduring spirit of the black community. He called Juneteenth “a day of immense significance in our history,” and a reminder of the complexities and difficulties of the nation’s path towards equality.

“As we raise this flag, let us also raise our voices in recognition of the ongoing fight for equality and justice,” he said.

The keynote speaker at Frida’s event was Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District. Her remarks echoed many of those presented by other speakers, calling for both a remembrance of the past and action in the future.

Dr. Camil Culbreath, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Reading School District, gives the keynote address during a Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony on Friday in City Park. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

She said that in preparing to speak, she talked to several students in the Reading School District. While some knew a little bit about Juneteenth, she found that far too man did not have a firm understanding of the holiday’s history.

“We all know that knowledge is power,” she said, calling for a increased inclusion in history curriculum that truly tells the story of black, Hispanic, Asian and other Americans. “There shouldn’t be different hyphenated histories, it’s all one continuous story.”

For more information about Juneteenth events in Reading and Berks visit facebook.com/JuneteenthReadingPA.