Protesters gather near White House for Juneteenth

Multiple Juneteenth marches and protests have been working ir way through nation’s capital, with most planning to converge in evening on recently renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza across from White House.

holiday commemorates emancipation of enslaved African Americans and is usually celebrated with pares and festivals.

But on Friday, it became a day of protest this year in wake of nationwide demonstrations set off by George Floyd's killing at hands of police in Minneapolis.

In dition to tritional cookouts and reings of Emancipation Proclamation, Americans were marching, holding sit-ins or car caravan protests.

Outside White House, several hundred people gared as blue skies started giving way to storm clouds.