BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The rain held off just long enough for Burlington’s fifth annual Juneteenth celebration in City Hall Park and around Church Street on Friday.

The theme for this year’s celebration was “Freedom: Yesterday’s Legacy, Today’s Promise, Tomorrow’s Hope.”

“We still find joy, we are still resilient, we are still creating community, and that’s really what today’s celebration is all about,” said Kelli Perkins, director of Burlington Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

The daylong event began with awards from the city of Burlington honoring Black community leaders. Emiliano Void won the innovator award for his work as a small business owner.

“We’re constantly trying to build and grow and expand community, make this place feel like it makes sense for people just like me, just as much as it does for everybody else,” Void said.

Choirs, soloists and poets took the stage in City Hall Park.

Around the corner on Church Street, a local business owner opened up his walls for the community to paint a Juneteenth mural.

“This bird we’re painting here is a Guyanesse symbol representing diaspora and it means go back and get it or like don’t forget your past and learn from it,” said Shane O’Connell, owner of True 802.

O’Connell said the mural was an opportunity to connect the community and reflect on the history of the holiday.

“We live in one of the whitest communities in America, you know it’s important to remember who we are and what our past was,” O’Connell said.

The colors red, white and blue were featured throughout the celebration.

“Those are actually the colors of Juneteenth because Black Americans have been Americans too,” Perkins said.