The red, white and blue flag with a large star waved in the breeze at Tampa’s City Center, where around 150 people gathered for a flag-raising event Friday in honor of Juneteenth. Despite the heat and blazing sun, spirits were high when a drum band performed to the clapping and cheering of attendees.
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, is celebrated annually to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day slavery is considered to have ended in America.
Rodney Jones III of Tampa waves a Pan-African flag during the Juneteenth flag-raising event. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
The Bay Area Drum Academy performs on the steps of the City Center in the bright, midday sunshine. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, left, and City Council member Gwendolyn Henderson greet each other between speeches. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
Juneteenth-themed buttons are worn by Gloria Jean Royster of Tampa, who attended the event. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
People gather and mingle under the shade to hide from the sun and the heat during the event. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
National Miss Juneteenth Saniya Gay delivers a speech at the podium. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
Tampa City Council member Gwendolyn Henderson wears a Harriet Tubman pin on her shirt. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
The Juneteenth flag, featuring red, white and blue, also has a bursting star in the center and a curving arc that symbolizes a horizon line. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
