If you stand quietly on the grounds of Appomattox Plantation, you can hear and feel the spirit of the site, says Hopewell School Superintendent Winston O. Odom. You can hear the old spirituals sung by slaves on the wind, you can hear the pain and misery of the slaves who worked the plantation and even almost feel the presence of President Abraham Lincoln, who walked the grounds during the waning days of the Civil War, Odom said.

Juneteenth was marked with music, storytelling and a torch-lit walk on Richmond’s slave trail yesterday. The observance celebrates the end of slavery, and the theme of this year’s commemoration is “Walking in our Ancestors’ Footsteps.“ “Lest we forget, it’s important that we know our history,“ said Jovita Simons, who was selling gifts at the Ancarrow’s Landing area on the south side of the James River. “It does affect us. We have to know our history so we don’t repeat it.“

The fourth annual Juneteenth celebration in Petersburg, the first of two Juneteenth events sponsored by the Washington Cultural Foundation and Petersburg National Battlefield, will be June 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. Throughout the United States, Juneteenth events commemorate the ending of slavery in America and celebrate the importance of family, community and achievement for all Americans.