JUNETEENTH
CELEBRATE FREEDOM
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Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19th, commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
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On June 19, 1865,
Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce to enslaved African-Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were free.
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The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1st, 1863, declaring more than three million enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.
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However, with the minimal presence of Union troops in Texas to enforce the Executive Order, it would be more than two years before the news reached the state.
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Today, Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom and achievement and is recognized as a state holiday or ceremonial holiday in 47 states.
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Celebrations include public readings of the Emancipation Procolamation, prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with food, music and dancing.
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The Juneteenth flag, which commemorates the day that slavery ended in the US. The red, white and blue represents the American flag, a reminder that slaves and their descendants were and are Americans. The star represents the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.
