By Alexa Ard

 “Somewhere in a neighborhood near you they don’t love your flesh, you’ve got to love it.”

 RENO, Nev. – Artist and scholar L. Martina Young commanded the patio at Pignic Pub & Patio on June 19 with these words during her dance based on Toni Morrison’s book “Beloved”. Her performance opened the Juneteenth celebration, a holiday that commemorates the day the last slaves were freed in the United States. This day was June 19, 1865 – two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

 The holiday is highly celebrated in Texas as that’s where the last slaves were freed on this date. Houston alone celebrates Juneteenth for a whole week.

Geralda Miller, publisher at Art Spot Reno, hosted the Juneteenth event in Reno, which also included poetry readings and soul food. She calls the holiday her liberation day.

 Learn more about Juneteenth and how it was celebrated in Reno by watching the video below.