GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It was a celebration at Martin Luther King Park in Grand Rapids on Saturday as family, friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate Juneteenth early.

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Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865. That is the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom. It’s recognized by many as the end of slavery in the U.S.

“We always looked at July, the Fourth of July. And as a culture we realized, no, we need to be celebrating and uplifting each other for Juneteenth,” said Iryonna Hogan-Davis, an organizer of the MLK Park Juneteenth celebration.

Saturday marked the fourth time a Juneteenth celebration has been held at MLK Park. The event honored Black culture through music, entertainment, food, and activities.

“As the years went on, it seemed like it even got bigger as well,” said organizer Britney Sylvester. “This year, we are kind of having some difficulties with the construction but people in the community look forward to this event, so they still came out, and we love to have the children.”

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Also during the event, several Black-owned businesses held pop-up shops, giving the community one place to support them.

“A lot of these businesses don’t have a brick-and-mortar, so this gives the community an opportunity to see what these individuals are selling,” Sylvester said.

As much as the Juneteenth celebration was about coming together as a community, it was also a chance to educate people about the holiday.

“To understand what that actually means in our culture, not just for Black and brown people, but for everybody. I think it’s one thing to have community events, but (it’s important) to actually understand what that means and really celebrate Juneteenth,” Hogan-Davis said.

Organizers say they’re already looking forward to next year.

“It’ll be bigger and better,” Sylvester said.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

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