DUBLIN, Ga. — Downtown Dublin celebrated their 5th Annual Taste of Juneteenth festival on Saturday.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black people in Texas were free by executive decree, marking the end of slavery. The holiday was from then on called Juneteenth and has been celebrated by Black people for years.
Fast forward to Saturday, people brought their lawn chairs, coolers, and families to learn about history, culture, and celebrate together as a community.
The day kicked off with the parade featuring Dublin High School's Fighting Irish Band, cool customized cars, and community members.
Then over at Market off Madison, there was a festival featuring food, arts and crafts, and local vendors.
Everyone came dressed in their traditional clothes and bonded over the different cultures there.
Ieshia Redd is the vice president of CULTURESHOCK and says this is a time to celebrate history together.
"The joy of celebration and them knowing that 'hey baby you are actually emancipated' and just to see how far we've come, you know we got a lot of work to do but just to see how far we've come that is why we celebrate today," Redd said. "Other people like me, like you, our children can actually be a force to be reckoned with. We are something to celebrate, and it's good to know that Black history is American history. Please embrace that and learn that."
Francis Wells has lived in Central Georgia all her life and she says Juneteenth is a holiday everyone should learn about.
"It shows that I understand history and it also shows that people behind me can look up to and learn and carry the torch on," Wells said. "We want to train the other ones to be brave and stand up like our forefathers did."
Mattie McGirt Holmes is one of the Magnificent Seven, a group of seven African-American students who integrated into the Dublin School System in 1965.
Holmes said being a part of history and celebrating history at the same time is an honor.
"The kids, the community, we all need to be in tune with it. They need to know what has transpired so that they won't be tempted to let anything happen that way again."
On Friday night, there was a talent show with featured performances from local and national artists.