(WWJ) Hundreds of frontline heroes gathered in Ann Arbor Friday to honor Juneteenth and to take a knee in honor of George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of a former Minneapolis police officer.
Doctors and nurses of Michigan Medicine Health System came together outside the University of Michigan Medical Center and kneeled for 8 minutes and 46 minutes, symbolic of the amount of time the officer held his knee to Floyd's neck.
University of Michigan students and faculty members participated in a similar tribute at 1:15 pm.
Juneteenth marked the official end of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865; the last of the people enslaved in Galveston, Texas learned they were free.
It is observed as a holiday in all but three states: Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota. Detroit mortgage-lending company, Quicken Loans, joined a long list of corporations offering Juneteenth as a paid holiday including Facebook, Lyft, Twitter, Vox Media and more.
Daniel Meyers, a veterinarian at the University of Michigan, was among the participants. He told WWJ's George Fox there are some misconceptions about the holiday.
"A lot of people associate it with the Emancipation Proclamation, but that was really signed a couple years earlier. But the Civil War was still going on, so the slaves really didn't feel emancipated," Meyers said.
He said the first Juneteenth was a day of hope, but much of that hope remains unfilled.
"It was a sign that things would change, and it did in some parts, but as you see, there is still a lot of problems," Meyers said.
The protesters had a big scare when they heard what sounded like an explosion. Thankfully, it was a bicycle tire that blew.
Hundreds of university students and community members also took to the streets to fight for equality.
Meyers called the event a "show of solidarity" and a big step forward.
"I think it starts with…everyone recognizing the importance of everyone's life," he said.
