KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Across the U.S., Juneteenth celebrates equality and freedom. It marks the day when a U.S. general marched into Texas backed by military force and told slaveholders that enslaved people were now free, around two months after the end of the Civil War. It's also known as Freedom Day or America's second Independence Day.
This year, the MLK Commemorative Commission in Knoxville combined its annual MLK parade and march with the city's Juneteenth celebration. A deadly winter storm in January delayed the parade, which would have been held closer to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"It's a day of freedom for African Americans and to bring people together as a whole," said Michael Weaver, a parade attendee. "You got to keep the memories alive. You got to make sure that the young people know the history and keep it going because we're not going to be here forever. So we need to keep passing it on and passing it down the line for them."
The event showcased many Knoxville churches, organizations and people from Austin East High School. There was even a drill team from Illinois marching parallel to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
"Not every school gets to come out here and perform for everybody," said Marcelos Ramos, a member of the Waukegan High School JROTC drill team. "And I feel like this is a special occasion to do it. And I mean, the day is nice. It's a little bit hot, but, I feel nice about it. I feel excited."
Sergeant First Class Jeffrey Nasser, the team's JROTC instructor, said the group took a ten-hour bus ride to get to the parade. He said they were invited to be in the parade by Dr. Mabry Duff, the parade chair.
"This is our first Juneteenth parade," said Nasser. "Normally, we just do local parades. But we, our drill team with our program, we do travel around."
Michael Weaver and his daughter, Alexis Weaver, both wore shirts fit for the event. One shirt featured the Black Lives Matter logo and the other featured keywords that highlight Black people's fights throughout history for equality and freedom.
"I purchased my shirt about about a month ago," said Michael. "I saw it in a clothing store, and I thought it would be perfect for this day. And it exemplifies everything that the day is about — freedom, Juneteenth, unity."
Alexis wore the Black Lives Matter shirt. She said the parade and celebration serve as a great way to teach about Juneteenth.
"Unity is a really good foundation for anything," said Alexis. "It's perfect too, for people of all races, everybody to learn about Juneteenth for that reason. I think it's important to educate our young people on what the people before us done, what we've achieved, and also let them know that we still have a long way to go."