Parade and party mark Juneteenth today in Alexandria

The 18th annual Juneteenth Celebration Parade is today with the lineup beginning at 4 p.m. on Third Street at the Interstate 49 Expressway.

The parade, which starts at 5 p.m., will continue to Broadway Avenue to Jones Avenue to Cheatham Park.

Immediately following the parade, the 18th annual Juneteenth Cultural & Heritage Celebration will be held at Cheatham Park. The family-style event will include performances by local artists and the presence of various community resource organizations.

For information, call Carolyn Frazier at (318) 792-6736.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the Texas in 1865. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 1863. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of slaves.