San Francisco kicks off Juneteenth festivities with inaugural downtown parade
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Saturday, the city of San Francisco celebrated Juneteenth with an inaugural parade.
It celebrates African American culture and aims to recognize contributions and progress.
RELATED: SF will hold an inaugural Juneteenth Parade Saturday to kick off month of celebration
The parade began at Market and Spear Streets and featured Black cowboys, live bands and community leaders.
There was also a market at the Ferry Building - the event part of an ongoing series called "Pop-Ups on the Plaza" that aims to showcase Black-owned local businesses.
RELATED: Here's what is happening in the Bay Area this Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a reference to the date when Union soldiers declared that the Civil War was over and slaves were to be freed. It was recognized as a federal holiday beginning in 2021.
Other San Francisco Juneteenth events this month include the Sunnydale 2023 25th Annual Family Day at Hertz Playground on Sunday, a Juneteenth kick-off celebration featuring Mayor London Breed at City Hall on June 16, the San Francisco Black Wall Street Gala at The Hibernia also on June 16, the Fillmore Juneteenth Festival at O'Farrell on June 17 and Bayview Juneteenth at Gilman Park on June 18.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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