NAACP Colorado Springs holds Prayer Breakfast to celebrate Juneteenth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Monday, the Colorado Springs branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held a Prayer Breakfast to celebrate Juneteenth.

Juneteenth, June 19, marks the country's second independence day. Per the Smithsonian, the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn't until June 19, 1863, that it was implemented in places still under Confederate control. This day commemorates the day the Union Army rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, proclaiming that the enslaved African Americans there were free.

In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

For this year's celebration, more than 80 people gathered at the non-profit building Urbanites to celebrate Juneteenth.

Angela Stevens, president of the Colorado Springs NAACP, said Monday's celebration isn't just for the Black community - it's for the entire city. Stevens said Juneteenth is meant to help bring folks together after celebrating Juneteenth while social distancing.

"That kind of slowed our celebration of coming back together," Stevens explained about the COVID-19 restrictions of previous years.

Juneteenth recognized as a federal holiday has helped with celebrations.

"Before we would hold our Juneteenth celebrations on the weekend," said Stevens. "Now we can actually hold it on June 19 because it is a federal holiday. And so many of our friends and families are able to be part of this celebration."

The NAACP of Colorado Springs has been around for more than 100 years and says it is still growing.