SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — One day before the official holiday, a number of Juneteenth flags were waving across San Diego County. San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Union High School District and Lemon Grove raised the Juneteenth flag Tuesday.
“Here we are, 200 years later still celebrating and enjoying this day filled with fun, joy and remembering the resilience of the people who paved the path before us,” resource teacher Elleisha Elzien said.
On June 19, 1865, slaves in Galveston, Texas were told they were free nearly two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation.
“Can you imagine waiting that long to find out you’re free?" sixth grader Kaylan Stewart said. "It’s a reminder on how important it is to never give up on fighting for what’s right.”
San Diego Unified School District held an event with students, staff and the community Tuesday. They gathered to celebrate Juneteenth and raise the flag outside the district office.
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"Juneteenth is about celebrating freedom. To me, freedom is being able to go to school, play lacrosse, go to the beach and do things everyone is able to do," a third grader said. "We are lucky because we don’t really know what it means to have our freedom taken away."
What is the Juneteenth flag?
The Juneteenth flag represents more than just history. It is red, white and blue, just like the American flag.
"It has a star that represents the future and the progress that our people have made and it also has the red and the blue to symbolize that we are part of America as well, and that it's not just a Black history event, it's an American history event,” Elzien said.
Sweetwater Union High School District is another school district with a Juneteenth flag. It was raised for the second year in a row Tuesday.
“It declares the Sweetwater District to recognizing the unique tragedies and triumphs of Black Americans in the past and Black contributions to the present and the future," teacher and board president Don Dumas said.
For the first time, a Juneteenth flag is waving in the sky of Lemon Grove. The Mayor of Lemon Grove, Racquel Vasquez, said it will be up for the rest of June.
"I actually pushed for the County of San Diego to declare Juneteenth a holiday and a day of service specifically in the city of Lemon Grove, and today it was quite an honor to raise the flag,” Vasquez said.
A Juneteenth flag also went up outside of Chula Vista City Hall Monday night during a Juneteenth celebration.
These flags waving in the county are recognizing the holiday in San Diego County as we learn, celebrate and honor an important piece of history.
WATCH RELATED: Juneteenth celebrations start to roll out across San Diego County