Milwaukee raises Juneteenth flag above city hall

Milwaukee raises Juneteenth flag

The Juneteenth flag was raised above city hall. There was a ceremony with a cultural drum performance and poetry reading.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee is home to one of the oldest and longest-running Juneteenth celebrations in the nation. Friday, city officials came together in celebration.

The Juneteenth flag was raised above city hall. There was a ceremony with a cultural drum performance and poetry reading.

"We're going to celebrate in a street festival that will bring people from all across the city of Milwaukee together to celebrate freedoms not just the African American experience but American History," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said of the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive celebration.

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Sunday will be the city's 51st Juneteenth celebration; the Northcott Neighborhood House hosted the city's first events.

Also on Friday, Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order to raise the Juneteenth flag above the Wisconsin Capitol for a third consecutive year.

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in Texas in 1865 and officially became a U.S. federal holiday in 2021. Because June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, the federal holiday will be recognized on Monday, June 20.