Last Updated on Thu, Oct 22, 2026 by Black Owned in Rochester

Juneteenth (Officially Juneteenth National Independence Day) celebrates the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan 1, 1863. However because there was no email and honestly certain folks weren’t in a rush to see it enforced, it didn’t reach Texas until 1865.

Juneteenth refers to June 19th when the final stronghold in Texas was informed that the enslaved were indeed “free” (we all know it’s more like ‘free-ish’). This led to celebrations around the country for many African/Black Americans.

To put this into context, Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the slave is the 4th of  July” in 1852, 13 years before June 19th. Juneteenth is the new 4th of July for African/Black Americans. So events and celebrations commemorate this starting from June 13th to the 20th and beyond. Here are some that are happening in Rochester, NY!

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Shop Black Owned on Juneteenth and year round with these businesses in Rochester, NY and Monroe County, NY