TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — The Tupelo Juneteenth Freedom Celebration kicked off Friday in downtown Tupelo at the Farmer’s Depot. Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. It is celebrated on June 19 because that’s when Union soldiers came to Galveston, Texas, to tell the slaves there that they were free. “This doesn’t mean that this is not celebrating everyone,” said Jennifer Lawrence, Tupelo Juneteenth organizer.