Juneteenth has been around since just after the Civil War, but it's gained a new level of notoriety with its elevation to "federal holiday" status.
Governor Ned Lamont has declared Saturday, June 19th "Juneteenth Day" in Connecticut. At 3 pm, the City of Hartford will hold a celebration at the Black Lives Matter mural on Trinity St., just steps from the Capitol.
Archbishop Dexter Burke of Hartford says the higher-profile holiday should be celebrated. He also says it should be used as a platform to educate the public about racial inequality and the need for change.
"The sad part of it is, there's still so many bent on keeping God's children enslaved, behind," says Burke, an officer of the Greater Hartford NAACP and pastor of the Walk in the Light Church of God. "It speaks of something more than just a day to celebrate, but a day to educate and shout it out that, 'Yes, we're free, and we're created to be free.'"
Burke spoke to WTIC's Dave Mager about the meaning of Juneteenth and how the public can help spread the word: