On Saturday, events honoring one of the nation's oldest celebrations of freedom continued in Charlottesville.
Piedmont Virginia Community College hosted the second day of Juneteenth festivities on Saturday.
Activities included re-enactments of life on a plantation and a history lesson on African-American contributions during and after the Civil War. Organizers say the event helps people gain knowledge that isn't always available in textbooks.
Event organizer Maxine Holland said, "We hear about the whippings. We hear about the sexual abuse, but we don't hear about the carpenters, we don't hear about the iron, people who developed ways of making iron."
Event participant Recus Smith said, "I like to learn my history and about what people did about abolitionists...slaves."
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It began on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas.
