NYC leaders push importance of voting in honor of Juneteenth holiday
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The importance of voting in New York City's mayoral primary was front and center at a Juneteenth celebration in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday.
The federal holiday marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told by the Union soldiers they were free -- some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
While most communities across the Tri-State are marking the holiday, the celebration in Brooklyn is particularly special.
Rev. Al Sharpton and movie director Spike Lee kicked off their event at the iconic Junior's Restaurant with breakfast and a message: the importance of voting.
"People have died for our chance to vote...we can't take that for granted," Lee said.
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They said freedom isn't just declared, it has to be protected by heading to the polls.
Many are celebrating the day with picnics and concerts, but Sharpton says Juneteenth is not just a day to kick back -- it's a day to refocus.
"You can be free and not know it, and that's what Juneteenth means, you can walk off the plantation now and not know it, so that's why it is important that people register to vote in the mayor's election vote, whoever you are voting for, vote in every election," Sharpton said.
Thursday evening, Sharpton will join Haitian leaders at the Christian Cultural Center Church in Brooklyn to condemn President Donald Trump's travel ban on Haitians.
"The fact that Haiti and several other countries, all Black and Brown countries, is on the travel ban, shows outright bigotry," Sharpton said.
Other Juneteenth activities around the city include a free concert in Times Square and events at the New York Public Library.
Click here for a full list of events.
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