From K-QED.

Hey everyone, it's Olivia Allen Price, and this is Bay Curious.

This Friday is June 19th.

But to many people, it's much more than that.

It's Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom.

The holiday has been around since the late 1800s, but it may take on a new resonance this year,

given the protests for racial justice happening across the country.

A few major local employers have even made Juneteenth a paid holiday for their staff.

Here at Bay Curious, we like to keep our eyes on search engine trends,

and we've noticed a lot of locals are asking,

what is Juneteenth?

So first up, we've got a quick prima for you from reporter Asala Sonapur.

For one weekend each year, thousands of people come together at the Lauren District in South Berkeley.

You'll see drummers in traditional African clothes, street vendors selling barbecue, and an exhibit documenting local black history is all

for Berkeley's annual Juneteenth festival which the city celebrated almost every

year since 1986.

It celebrates the black experience.

That's what I always like to tell people.

Dolores Noichi Cooper has been organizing Berkeley's Juneteenth festival

for the past 33 years.

Juneteenth stands for June 19th and it was the day that General Granger rode into Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and let the slaves there know that they were free.

And this was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

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