Commemorating Juneteenth

KIMT News 3's Nick Kruszalnicki shows us how folks in Mason City marked the historic day

To talking about racism and what white privilege means.

And people here in our area are commemoratin g the historic day.

Kimt news 3's nick kruszalnicki is live with how mason city is marking the occasion.

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"* the cookout here at monroe park wrapped up about three hours ago.

But folks who were out here tell me they want to see juneteenth celebrations become a tradition for years to come.

There was dancing and plenty of music nats: music just like any cookout at the park.

But the message is clear ?

"* black americans want a day to celebrate their history and culture.

"after everything that's happened recently and considering our harrowing past that's happened in this country, that we deserve to celebrate something, that we deserve to have a day that we can feel joyful."

Brandon mcgriff, like many here, would like to see juneteenth become a federally recognized holiday.

He says we celebrate our freedom from the british, so african americans would like to celebrate their freedom from slavery.

"the fact that we're talking about whether or not there should be a day where black people were liberated from it's own white people and it's own country.

Yeah, we need our federal holiday, we actually should have had it you know."

The solution is clear to the people commemoratin g the day.

The country needs to start discussing race relations more.

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"** sublett says racism still exists, but in more subtle ways.

"it's not the forties, it's not the fifties, it's not the sixties.

It's not as blunt and in the movement to make junteenth a federal holiday is gaining steam.

Republican senator john cornyn from texas is introducing a bill to do just that.

Live in mason city, nick kruszalnicki, kimt news 3.

Thank you nick.

Today governor tim walz declared juneteenth freedom day in minnesota... and he's calling on the legislature to