Ocoee gathers to celebrates Juneteenth holiday

OCOEE, Fla. - The skies were gray in Ocoee for the city's annual Juneteenth celebration, but that didn't dampen the spirits of those who showed up.

"Juneteenth!" said visitor Elizabeth Grace, "Want to celebrate, want to remember, want to be educated, want to see the beautiful vendors, see who's out here, get a cookie!"

While the crowds were small at the start, Fl. Sen. Geraldine Thompson, whose office organized the event, had high hopes. "We're excited that more people now know what Juneteenth is all about, and that they're honoring the sacrifices of so many people who contributed to our freedom," she said.

Also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth commemorates when enslaved black people in Texas learned about their freedom, after the end of the Civil War. In 2021 Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Ocoee's city leaders said it was important to remember.

"Freedom was never free," said Ocoee Commissioner Ages Hart, "it was paid for with a very high price. If we don't remember what happened, we're bound to repeat history. So it's important for us to build ourselves as a nation, America's greatest strength is our unity, and this represents our unity."

There were 30 vendors at the event, many of them offering important services to the visitors, like registering to vote. "We're here to give access to the community, if they need to update their registrations or update their vote-by-mail, or if they need to register to vote," said Karen Briceno Gonzalez, with the Orange County Board of Elections.

Members of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club also showed up. The service club said they were there to support the black community and our country.

"It's a very important holiday," said club member and veteran Paula "Soldier Girl" Edwards, "It celebrates freedom for all people, not just some. And that's worth celebrating. We didn't get to really celebrate that. It was a big thing in Texas, but not around the whole country, so now we get to come here and celebrate with all people."