June 19, 1865.
It's been 158 years since thousands of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, TX discovered their freedom.
In honor of the federal holiday, members of Move the Mindset, a non-profit that aims to educate the community on racial and social justice partnered with the Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee (SWLA), to host a free Juneteenth Commemoration.
More than 50 people gathered in the Downtown Convention Center on Monday to enjoy live music, poetry and a guest speaker series about the past, present and future.
Vice President of Move the Mindset, Ola Prejean said although progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to be done.
"It [Juneteenth] means a day of celebration, it means a day of commemoration, it means a day of marking something that happened in history," Prejean said. "While it seems as that happened many years ago, 1865...there's still so many issues related to that we're still facing today."
Herb Green is the Owner and Operator of Pucci Percussions, an African and Latin drum assemble in Lafayette.
Green said drums have a significant role in the Juneteenth history and he's thankful his students can continue being a part of it.
"It has about a 800-year history," Green said. "It played a vital role in the way that the slaves communicated with each other on plantations."
Attendees and volunteers got a chance to listen to live music and poetry and engage with a variety of speakers at the Juneteenth Commemoration.
Volunteers like Mary Guercio said the federal holiday provides an opportunity for everyone to gain knowledge and insight about those who came before us.
"I'm learning why Juneteenth is important and what it means in history and what history means today," Guercio said.
Some attendees said they're hopeful the Juneteenth celebrations will continue throughout Acadiana.
