Two local poets are preparing a special celebration in Pelham Bay Park to mark Juneteenth.

The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. It was about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Southern states.

President Joe Biden signed a bill making it a federal holiday last year.

This year, Juneteenth is shared with Father’s Day. The event in the park’s south picnic area will host a wide range of activities for the whole family like poetry, music, arts and crats, yoga and much more. 

The Family Day was started by poets Jasmine Rosario and Shanell Goring last year. They tell News 12 this will not only highlight Juneteenth, but also promote community. 

“We’re going to honor and celebrate all cultures because the freedom of slaves was just one aspect of it,” explains Rosario. 

Juneteenth Family Day will be held on Sunday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If the weather does not cooperate, it will move to Sunday, June 26.