Residents gathered Saturday for a Juneteenth celebration on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains – an event that dates back 19 years despite only becoming a federal holiday in 2021.

The White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Committee hosted the event, featuring a parade, music, and dancers.

"Not much was known about Juneteenth,” said Frank Williams of White Plains Juneteenth Heritage, INC. “We're trying to bring that forward so that our children, our children's children, all of our people and our community members will know about the sacrifice, the history, the challenge and how far we've come."

While the event specifically celebrated the emancipation of Black slaves in America, some spectators believe it was an opportunity for the town to celebrate diversity as a whole.

"Whether you are Afro Latino, whether you are Caribbean, whether you're Black, whether you are Spanish. No matter what, you need to come out and represent who you are in all of these festivals,” said spectator Michelle Gabriel.