Juneteenth
Source: New York Times
Published: June 2020
Juneteenth
Circulated: June 19, 2020
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Union Army troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came 2.5 years earlier on January 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive after the announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
For some, it is a time to celebrate freedom with community-centric events like parades and cookouts.
For others, it is a time to read, remember, and reflect.
Bonus: Major General Gordon Granger’s announcement Number 3 reads, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages.”