Juneteenth - a time to Celebrate

Although the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 ushered in the end of slavery, word of freedom, and enforcement of the law, traveled slowly, following the advance of Union troops. Texas was the most remote of the Confederate states, thus it took more than two years after the document was signed by President Lincoln for the news, and support to reach throughout the US.  

President Abraham Lincoln

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger delivered the news to the people of Galveston, Texas: freedom. By 1866, all territories (including Indian Territories, the Choctaw were the last to free enslaved people) recognized not only the proclamation, but the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment of 1865.

Major General Gordon Granger

Originally called Jubilee Day, or in certain locales, Emancipation Day, Juneteenth joins together “June” and “nineteenth,” in recognition of the date of Granger’s announcement. Preserving its place in history, Texas became the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday. In the late 1870s, the Texas Legislature declared it a 'holiday of significance...particularly for the blacks of Texas.'

Earlier this month, both houses of Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing the date as a federal holiday. It is expected to be signed into law today, June 17, and become the 11th federal holiday.

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the joy of freedom, especially for descendants of those who were once held as slaves. The holiday is also a time for reflection, bringing to light the historical injustices suffered by African Americans.