SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — The Sioux City chapter of the NAACP says that Juneteenth symbolizes the resilience and perseverance of their ancestors who fought so tirelessly for their liberation.
The holiday recognizes the ongoing battle for human rights and equality. Juneteenth is celebrated through family cookouts, faith services, storytelling, and musical performances.
The local organization’s president, Ike Rayford, said he describes Juneteenth like another form of Independence Day.
“We are celebrating a part of America’s history, I mean this is when we think of America’s unconfessed sin, slavery, and we acknowledge it for what it is,” Rayford said. “That guess what, we are truly free. That all men are created equal.”
Juneteenth was made a federal holiday back in 2021.