Families kick off holiday weekend at Juneteenth celebrations in Raleigh, Durham

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Families in the Triangle came together to honor the legacy of Juneteenth on Saturday.

"We appreciate this time set aside to commemorate Juneteenth so we thought we'd just come out to be a part of it," Ramona Robertson said.

Willie and Ramona Robertson joined hundreds of people all across the Triangle out celebrating the holiday. They stopped at Dix Park in Raleigh where there was food, fun activities for kids, and music.

"It's good that we can commemorate remember and think to take note of the progression. We always have to remember 'yeah we came from this, and we came from that,' which is important, but we also have to include where we're going," Robertson said.

Over in Fayetteville at Festival Park, similar sentiments were felt during its Juneteenth Jubilee celebrations.

"It's great to celebrate my history. It's great to be celebrated. It's great for your ancestors to be celebrated. It's great to know that your culture is being empowered and acknowledged," Daonne Williams said.

ABC11 anchor DeJuan Hoggard was Grand Marshal in Durham for the Bull City Juneteenth parade.

The parade was presented by the Victor Company, a Raleigh-based volunteer fire department established in 1870 by formerly enslaved people.

Durham's 18th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration will continue Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more Juneteenth events across the Triangle click here.