Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Community members are invited to the steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Precinct 3, to raise the Juneteenth Flag at 525 Lakeshore Drive in Port Arthur on June 8 at 10:30 a.m.

Every year Commissioner Michael Shane Sinegal’s office recognizes Juneteenth as the day slavery finally ended in the United States.

June 19, 1865, is when the last group of enslaved people was informed of their liberation in Texas, two and a half years after the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The flag is raised early in June to signal June is a month of freedom for those gone before us is now officially recognized.

“Juneteenth (June 19th) is a day to appreciate the Black and African American experience. It is a time to celebrate the inclusion of all races, ethnicities and nationalities in our community,” organizers said.

“The Juneteenth Flag uses the same colors as the United States Flag – red, white and blue – to show that formerly enslaved people and their descendants are free Americans too. The arc on the flag represents a new opportunity, and the burst that outlines the star signifies a new beginning for all.”

Next month’s event is cohosted by the African American Cultural Society.