Minister John Mosley Sr. - LA

John Mosley organized the first Juneteenth event in New Orleans (wdsu.com) 

"I was amazed, because I had lived all my life and never heard of the term Juneteenth. I learned that Juneteenth had lied dormant in Louisiana for over 100 years from the first time when people in Galveston Texas found out that Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation," said Mosely.

Inspired to bring more awareness, Mosley organized the first "known" Juneteenth events at City Park, along with educational programs in churches, libraries and an essay writing contest.

In 1997 he wanted to take his mission across the country and co-founded the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation or N.J.O.F..

Today, you see many other Juneteenth events in the city to to commemorate the day when enslaved people, in Galveston Texas, found out they were officially free in 1865.

Assistant Director of NJOF Dereck Alexander says their goal is to educate people on the day's significance, through podcasts, and flag raising events.

Most recently the group has worked to help push for legislation making Juneteenth a national holiday which passed in both chambers.

Mosley says to build a healthy future, you must reflect on the past.

"History is the study of the past that we do in the present so we can know where we're going in the future," said Mosley.

If you want to learn more about NJOF you can go to www.NJOF.org