Flag raising in North Las Vegas commemorates end of slavery in U.S.
A flag raising ceremony Thursday outside North Las Vegas City Hall commemorated the end of slavery in the United States.
The ceremony came a day after the North Las Vegas City Council adopted a resolution to recognize Juneteenth as an annual celebration of the freedom of Black people from slavery.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, were notified of their freedom by Union soldiers. Texas had defied the end of enslavement ordered by the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier.
The day is formally recognized in 49 states — including Nevada — and the District of Columbia. There is an ongoing effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
Juneteenth events
Thursday's ceremony was just the first in a slate of events scheduled to commemorate Juneteenth this month. Other events include:
June 7 – Flag raising at Las Vegas City Hall, 495 S Main St., Las Vegas, 10 a.m.
June 11 – Juneteenth Jazz Legacy and Heritage Festival at Water Street Plaza, 240 S Water St., Henderson, 5 p.m.
June 12 – Essence to Africa presentation at Whitney Ranch Recreation Center, 1575 Galleria Dr., Henderson, 2 p.m.
June 13 – Unity caravan beginning at old Moulin Rouge, 900 W. Bonanza Rd., Las Vegas, 12 p.m.
June 13 – Dashiki Sunday at West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas, 12:3o p.m.
June 17 – Flag raising at the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue, 1344 W Carey Ave., North Las Vegas., 11 a.m.
June 18, 19 – Workshops and photo exhibits at the West Las Vegas Art Center, 947 W Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas., 11:3o a.m.
June 18 – 10th Annual Juneteenth Jazz, Arts and Spoken Word Celebration at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre, 951 W Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, 12 p.m.
June 19 – 10th Annual Juneteenth Jazz, Arts and Spoken Word Celebration at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre, 951 W Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, 11:30 a.m.
June 19 – 20th Annual Las Vegas Juneteenth Festival at Kianga Isoke Palacio Park, 951 W Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, 6 p.m.
