Tunisia Morrison is getting ready for the big day.

Each year, the Jamaica resident organizes “Juneteenth in Queens,” a series of events honoring the liberation of America's last enslaved community.

"I just think it's an ode to Queens,” she said. “It's an ode to chattel slaves. It's an ode to this predominantly Black community that’s held on."

Morrison's community activism roots run generations deep. Her grandfather served as a spokesperson for Malcom X, and she said her grandmother started one of the city’s first Black-owned private schools.

"Civic engagement, understanding who you are and who’s you are started for me at a really, really young age,” she said.

Morrison and her siblings previously started an organization to bring more resources to underprivileged kids. Then came the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

“It was really, really important to use the moment of George Floyd and all the other unfortunate slain people, like Tyre Nichols and Breonna Taylor, to amplify the need for something different,” she said.

Morrison worked with her then-boss Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman to push to make Juneteenth a state holiday.

“The reality is, is that, we continue to have to legislate our way to freedom every day," she said.

And the following year, Morrison's team launched Juneteenth in Queens. It starts with virtual educational panels on themes like redlining and reparations.

“They're then having their own conversations in their families to say 'Wow, yeah, there's things I need to talk about,’” she said.

During the event, performers and local businesses take over Roy Wilkins Park.

Morrison hopes the celebrations motivate the Black community to keep forging forward.

"We owe it to our ancestors, honestly, who have got us this far, to remember where we came from to very much understand where we're going," she said.