Several communities in Connecticut held Juneteenth ceremonies Friday.

The town of Stratford commemorated the end of slavery in the United States, despite the region's annual Juneteenth parade being canceled because of the pandemic this year.

Mayor Laura Hoydick says she hopes residents will have open hearts and open minds.

Norwalk Hospital staff members participated in a demonstration against racism outside the hospital before their shift Friday to commemorate Juneteenth.

The group marched up and down Maple Street around 7:30 a.m., and kneeled across the street from the hospital as some drivers honked in support.

Hospital staff held signs that quoted the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

June 19 marks the 155th anniversary when it was announced that slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas, following the end of the Civil War. However, that announcement came more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

One of the employees of the hospital, a physician's assistant, says she wanted to tie in bringing awareness of injustices experienced by African Americans with Juneteenth.

She says she was so thankful to have the support of her co-workers during the demonstration.