Photo Gallery: Utah celebrates Juneteenth

Utahns across the state gathered Wednesday to celebrate Juneteenth, the state and federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Although the State of Utah gave its employees Monday off, the majority of events were held Wednesday.

On X, former President Barack Obama posted “On Juneteenth, we commemorate the anniversary of the delayed news of freedom reaching the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas. Let’s keep building on the work of the generations who came before us and making sure that the arc of the moral universe continues to bend towards justice.”

Deseret News photojournalist Laura Seitz spent the day documenting celebrations in Salt Lake City. Here are her photos.

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