COLORADO SPRINGS — Black people hope the federal and state recognition of Juneteenth helps breakdown barriers.
"When I think of it, it makes me think of freedom," said Nalani Williams.
That is what the holiday means to 10-year-old Nalani.
"It makes me feel like I'm not alone, and there's a lot of people in the world that want to fight for their rights," said Nalani.
"Unfortunately, it takes things like that happening for people to actually pay more attention to it," said Michael.
Nalani's father says he's heard more people talking about the holiday this year.
"I would like to see this to be a gateway to open up more inclusive spaces, more equitable spaces," said Michael. "I definitely want to make sure we're engaging in those conversations with people and giving people the opportunity to learn and come into our spaces."
"To get peoples mindsets to change, you have to cultural mix with people so they can understand," Malikia Brown.
"It's gonna help our culture grow, it's gonna help children get the education they need, it's gonna help a lot of things," said Nalani.
