Chicago celebrates Juneteenth while educating some on the importance of it

"We turned those slaves loose. Those slaves had absolutely nothing," said James Meeks, Salem Baptist Church pastor. "Then, America turned around and we paid the former slave owners for the slaves that they lost … instead [of] the people who were slaves and that subsidized America with 350 years of [free] labor — [they] got nothing."

Chicago celebrates Juneteenth

Chicagoans celebrated Juneteenth all over the city, with music and even a basketball tournament in the Pullman neighborhood.