Tupelo is gearing up for its observance of the Juneteenth holiday

TUPELO, Miss (WCBI) – Tupelo is gearing up for its observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

On Saturday, the city of Tupelo will mark the day with a parade, speakers, and music at Gumtree Park.

Juneteenth honors the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Texas with word that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the United States.

Organizers say it’s important to know the history behind the holiday.

“I’m not in celebrating mood but I am very appreciative but not in celebrating mood, there’s still oppression happening in a system which we are under each day, so until we can become humans in America, rather than black and African Americans, we will still face these same atrocities,” said Pastor Charles Moore, President of the Lee County NAACP.

Tupelo’s Juneteenth commemoration starts at noon Saturday with a parade, followed at 1 by the community-wide event in Gumtree park.