Juneteenth celebrations and events scheduled across the state

(WFSB) – Juneteenth events were set to take place across Connecticut on Wednesday.

Many municipal buildings and offices closed for the day due to the holiday.

Here’s a list of scheduled events:

Hartford – Juneteenth panel discussion and flag raising – State Capitol – 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Middletown – 2nd annual Juneteenth Parade – North Main Street to Harbor Park – 10:30 a.m.
Plainville – Annual Juneteenth Celebration – Veteran’s Memorial Park – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Rocky Hill – Juneteenth Celebration – 55 Church St. – 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Waterbury – Juneteenth celebration and flag raising – Waterbury City Hall – 11 a.m.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S.

The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

In 2022, Gov. Ned Lamont declared that Juneteenth would be a state holiday, starting with 2023. That followed President Joe Biden making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.