The City of White Plains started its Juneteenth celebrations early on Monday. 

Drummers, dancers and spectators gathered on Mamaroneck Avenue to mark what many consider to be the country's second Independence Day. 

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but organizers of this year's celebration say they have been putting on the event for 19 years.

"Not much was known about Juneteenth, so we're trying to bring that forward so that our children, our children's children, and all of our people, our community members will know about the sacrifice, the history, the challenge and how far we've come,” says Frank Williams, of White Plains Juneteenth Heritage, Inc.