SALISBURY — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP canceled Juneteenth, scheduled for June 13, President Gemale Black said in an announcement on Tuesday.

Juneteenth is an annual event that celebrates the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African-Americans in the Confederate States of America. Juneteenth is celebrated on the Saturday closest to June 19.

The message of emancipation reached different parts of the U.S. between 1863 and 1865. Texas slaves were not informed about the Emancipation Proclamation that freed them in 1863 until after the Civil War ended in 1865. The message reached them on June 19, 1865, which is where the term Juneteenth came from.

The Salisbury-Rowan NAACP has celebrated Juneteenth for 24 years. The celebration is typically filled with music, arts, food, family, fun and games and draws crowds to downtown Salisbury.

Though this year’s celebration is canceled, next year’s Juneteenth will be June 19 in downtown Salisbury, Black said.