WATCH: Milwaukee Juneteenth celebration special coverage
Parade and celebration for Juneteenth in Milwaukee
55 years! That's how long Milwaukee has hosted its annual Juneteenth Jubilee Parade and Celebration. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in 1865. This year's theme is honoring the past and empowering the future. FOX6's Darronte Matthews has been there all day as the festival looks to be wrapping up.
MILWAUKEE - FOX6 News honored Juneteenth with a full day of dedicated coverage starting with a special edition of WakeUp on Friday, June 19.
We brought you all the action from Milwaukee's 55th annual Juneteenth celebration, plus had live updates all afternoon from the Wisconsin Live Desk on FOX LOCAL.
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Juneteenth celebration: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley weighs in
Wisconsin Live Desk got perspective on Juneteenth from Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who spent some time with FOX6's Darronte Matthews.
Juneteenth in Milwaukee: Former FOX6er Joanne Williams joins in
During FOX6's coverage of the Juneteenth celebration in Milwaukee, Bria Jones was visited by former FOX6 anchor/reporter Joanne Williams.
The backstory:
This year marks 55 years of Milwaukee's Juneteenth Day celebration – one of the longest-running traditions in the nation. The parade runs along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from Concordia to Center, followed by more festivities.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, commemorates the end of slavery, as the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally given the news they were free. That was two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The FOX6 News anchor team also posted a series of videos ramping up to this year's celebration – check them out the FOX6 Milwaukee TikTok.
More Juneteenth coverage
- Wisconsin Juneteenth flag raised; paid holiday debate continues
- Milwaukee raises Juneteenth flag above city hall
- Juneteenth celebration at Summerfest; experiences, events
- Open Record: Milwaukee's 55th Juneteenth is nation's longest-running
The Source: FOX6 News is producing special coverage of Milwaukee's 55th annual Juneteenth celebration.