LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Kids are giving back and learning more about the importance of Juneteenth.
To help commemorate the holiday, a group of teens and volunteers worked in the flower beds at Albert Peterson's home. But before they got their hands dirty, they learned more about the history of the holiday, which is also known as Freedom Day, because it marks the final group of slaves in Texas to learn that the emancipation proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln, ending slavery.Â
The event was organized by Councilman Derry Glenn to help teach the kids about the importance of Juneteenth, like his parents taught him.
"We've been celebrating for a long time. It just became a national holiday, so now everybody is buying into it. But we have been celebrating it every June the 19th, we were out doing something on this special day. So, we hope that everyone continues working on it, and growing, and learning about it," says Derry Glenn, Lima's 6th Ward councilman.
"I feel like this is a great chance to come together and do things that they did back then and spread awareness in the community about the empowerment of Juneteenth," says Sumarion Doughty, a recent graduate of Lima City Schools.
Glenn hopes he can do something bigger next year.
