Community celebrates Juneteenth with block party at Rochester City Hall

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The City of Rochester held its second annual Juneteenth Block Party on Friday at the doorstep of Rochester City Hall on Church Street.

There were food trucks, live music, and speakers talking about the historical significance of the federal holiday. Juneteenth marks the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Texas in 1865.

“It serves us well to understand that together we can overcome all obstacles in our path,” Mayor Malik Evans said. “The observance of Juneteenth is about the journey and achievement of Black Americans from a horrific period of sanctioned enslavement to the pinnacle of human endeavors.”

News10NBC has your guide to Juneteenth events around the region here.