Dozens gather for walking tours in Chester County in honor of Juneteenth
CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- Monday will be the third time that Juneteenth will be observed as a federal holiday. It's a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
On Sunday, dozens of people gathered at the Chester County History Center for two walking tours in honor of Juneteenth.
"I think we've come a long way in racial understanding and getting closer to equality, but we're not there yet, so I think we need to remember that history," Julie Finegan, of Takoma Park, Maryland said.
"I saw the advertisement for the tours and it's something that interested me and I really wanted to learn more about the Black history in West Chester," Roberta Matz, of West Brandywine Township, said.
The first tour focused on 19th-century Black businesses, whose impact is still felt today. The second tour was on the underground railroad.
"This community in West Chester is such an integral part of the underground railroad," Carol Weaver, a West Chester Juneteenth planning council partner, said.
There were dozens of underground railroad stations in Chester County. People on the tour checked out several of them, including the Freeman House on Barnard Street.
"I look at the 20 years that I've lived here. And I say to myself, I've driven by these historic sites for 20 years, did not know the history, so now when I drive by, it's a totally different story," Timmy Nelson, a tour guide at the Chester County History Center, said.
Nelson was a guide on the underground railroad tour, highlighting enslaved people's difficult path toward freedom.
"It's important to commemorate Juneteenth, first of all, it's a part of American history. Juneteenth tells some chapters in our history that we need to understand so that we don't repeat," Nelson said.
Nelson says the holiday is a reference point to measure the country's progress – a day that compels the country to grapple with slavery's devastating legacy, but also a day that celebrates the strength and resilience of Black communities.