NYC marches for Juneteenth
New York, NY – At noon, June 19, several hundred gathered outside of City Hall Park to celebrate, rally and march for Juneteenth. It was the first of several dozen actions happening throughout the boroughs and was called by the December 12th Movement.
Dozens upon dozens of the red, black and green flags were waving in the hands of protesters, as music played. The organizers ensured that protesters were wearing masks and kept social distance by lining them up to march.
This year’s Juneteenth has reached mainstream levels of attention as the country enters its 22nd day of protesting for Black lives. As protests were ignited by George Floyd’s murder at the hands of cops in Minneapolis, the demands have expanded and grown to demanding the arrest of the cops who murdered Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade, to the defund and community control of the police.
In the past years, progressive forces celebrate Juneteenth as it marks Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. On June 19, 1865 the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas to pronounce the end of slavery. Formerly enslaved people took to the streets and celebrated that day, and since then it’s been marked as a day to celebrate.
With this round of protests in 2020, many mayors and governors have been making declarations to make Juneteenth a state paid holiday as they attempt to appease to protesters who have no intention of slowing down.
The protesters in City Hall Park circled the park and then were joined by several other hundreds from another march that had started in a different part of the city. The march ended at Wall Street, and many protesters continued with other marches that were planned for the day.