BALTIMORE, MD (WEAA) — On Saturday, June 19, also known as Juneteenth, Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead participated in a special celebration commemorating the ending of slavery.
The Juneteenth community event, hosted by Reservoir Hill Association and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts was held at German Park in Baltimore’s Reservoir Hill neighborhood.
Families were able to enjoy a day filled with musical performances, food, face painting and a special appearance from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.
Even though the Emancipation Proclamation —an order by President Abraham Lincoln to free slaves — was signed on June 5, 1863 and Juneteenth was first celebrated on June 19, 1865, slavery didn’t truly end until the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865.
