PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Protesters are marching to the Rhode Island State House in Providence on Friday to mark Juneteenth, the unofficial holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the U.S.
Organizers say the youth-led march is meant to call for “defunding” the police and investing in the black community.
Protesters are meeting at Classical High School late Friday afternoon and marching to the Providence Public Safety Complex, then the state Department of Education building before ending at the Statehouse downtown.
Among the local groups organizing the event are Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education, Providence Student Union, Providence Youth Student Movement, Direct Action for Rights and Equality.
Juneteenth is celebrated every June 19. It marks the day in 1865 when the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed slaves they were free. The historic event came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery.
(Copyright (c) 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)