Commemorating ‘Juneteenth’ independence, ‘Still we rise’ brings song, prayer, unity in Wilmington — Photo gallery

 

“Still We Rise” in Wilmington, a commemoration and celebration of Juneteenth at St. Elizabeth Church in Wilmington, drew singers and celebrants June 19.

Rev. Aaron Moore, pastor of Manna Christian Fellowship in Wilmington, delivered the keynote address during the evening that included prayer for unity, music and a Juneteenth supper.

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free.

Known as the nation’s second Independence Day, Juneteenth — declared a federal holiday in 2021 — commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to more than 250,000 enslaved Black persons in Galveston, Texas. The proclamation, an executive decree by President Abraham Lincoln that freed those enslaved in rebelling Confederate States, was followed by the 13th Amendment, ratified by Congress in December 1865 and formally abolishing slavery.

The event was sponsored by the Diocese of Wilmington Ministry of Black Catholics.