Juneteenth In MoCo To Be Marked With Celebrations, Rallies

SILVER SPRING, MD — Juneteenth, a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth," is a 155-year-old holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

It was on that day — June 19, 1865 — that more than 250,000 slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

SEE ALSO: What Is Juneteenth? 5 Things To Know About The Holiday

Normally, Juneteenth is marked with festivals, parades, and cookouts. This year's celebration comes amid nationwide protests spurred by the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day. His final moments were recorded on a bystander's cellphone video.

Here is a list of some of the events planned throughout Montgomery County on Friday to honor Juneteenth:

• Defend Black Lives — 3 p.m. in Silver Spring
• Juneteenth Racial Drive-By Demonstration — 4 p.m. in Bethesda
• Juneteenth Freedom Party & Protest — 5 p.m. in Silver Spring

If you're in D.C., some events being held include:

• Juneteenth Peaceful March and Rally — 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2208 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. S.E.
• Black Students Matter Rally — 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Freedom Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
• Juneteenth Protest — Noon, start at National Cathedral and end at Dupont Circle
• Defend Black Women Feeder March — 1 p.m., reflecting pool at 899 North Capitol
• Freedom Day March — 2 p.m., Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. N.W.