Thursday, June 08, 2023
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19th to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came two and a half years earlier on January 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold their enslaved people captive after the announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
“Every year, we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one define the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. That’s why we need this holiday.” –Texas Rep. Albert Ely Edwards (1937–2020), sponsor of Texas House Bill 1016 (1979), which recognized Emancipation Day (“Juneteenth”) as a holiday.
Juneteenth is a time to gather as a family, reflect on the past and look to the future. It is a day of celebration of the journey and freedom of Black people in the United States.
Juneteenth Resources
History Channel – What Is Juneteenth
National Museum of African American History & Culture – The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
