ST. LOUIS – On Monday, the city and surrounding areas gathered on Juneteenth, the observance of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.

For locals walking around Ballpark Village today, it isn’t just about baseball, but remembering that in the early 1800s, the grounds served as the center for slave trade in the City of St. Louis. While the landscape has changed, the father of Michael Brown says the city still needs more unification.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but this is a start,” said Michael Brown Sr.

Brown believes the many events of celebration and unity taking place on Monday signify just how far we’ve come.

For Twyla Lee, an organizer of the Juneteenth celebration at Dellwood Park in north St. Louis, it’s critical to educate and inform young people of history and create more awareness.

“There’s not enough education on it,” she said.

For Tammy Cooper, she’s teaching her 15 grandchildren about their shared history.

“So they can see where we came from to get where we are today,” she said.

Cooper believes it’s important for them to understand the sacrifices and hardships their family’s ancestors faced while being enslaved.

“You don’t know what my grandmother and her grandmother went through to get us where we are today,” Cooper said.

Events across the St. Louis area featured plenty of music and dancing; an expression of culture, and the care to preserve and celebrate it.

Partaking tasty treats and sweet lemonade, and supporting local communities in more ways than one.

“A little bit of lemon, a little bit of Black girl magic, and a lot of love,” said Mikelle Brown, the little sister of Michael Brown.

Driven by what her family went through after losing her brother, she wants to spread love. For the family, in spite of losing their loved one in a police shooting, they want the future of the city to be brighter.

“Stop fighting and killing each other,” she said.

“Let’s come together and love each other. Because if we don’t love each other, who will?” Cooper said.

From reflecting on the past, today’s efforts are helping to bridge that brighter future.

“She taught me how to be proud of my skin color,” said Tammy Cooper’s daughter.