Photo of the day: Utahns celebrate Juneteenth with party at Washington Square

Marcher Victoria Crosby sprays water during a Juneteenth event at Washington Square Park in Salt Lake City on June 19, 2021. | Annie Barker, Deseret News

Utahns gathered at Washington Square in downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth.

The event, which included a march, a vendor market, live music and performances, commemorates the arrival of federal troops in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed into law legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives and by unanimous vote in the Senate.

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