The tragedy in South Carolina was on the minds of those who took part in the Juneteenth flag raising in front of Binghamton City hall Friday morning.


Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery and this year is the 150th anniversary of the event. Mayor Rich David began the ceremonies with a moment of silence for those lost in the South Carolina shooting. While slavery is a thing of the past in America, some say recent headlines show we still need to make progress on race relations in America.


"Recent events have occurred such as the inhumane killing of church members in Charleston, South Carolina or bomb threats on a local Muslim community here in our area, or the expulsion of Haitians from the Dominican Republic demonstrates that we have much work to do," said Binghamton City Councilwoman Lea Webb (D).


There will be a Juneteenth from noon until 5 pm at Columbus Park Saturday. From 10 am until noon the Mobile Food Pantry will be across the street from the park at the Broome County Urban League on Carroll Street.