The celebration of June 19th was called “Juneteenth.” In the past, many descendants of slaves in Texas traveled back to Galveston on at this time of year to commemorate emancipation.
Juneteenth or Jubilee Day celebrates the emancipation of those who were enslaved in our country. Specifically, it commemorates the date that the word of emancipation was finally delivered to a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, 2½ years after they had been declared free by President Abraham Lincoln.
On June 19th 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his troop of Union soldiers, arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the slaves were now free. Previously, there were too few Union troops to enforce President Lincoln’s Executive Order.
General Lee’s surrender in April of 1865 and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment finally allowed for the enforcement slave liberation and General Order Number 3 which read:
“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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
(http://juneteenth.com/history.htm)
On January 1, 1980, Al Edwards, an African American state legislator, succeeded in his efforts to make Juneteenth an official state holiday in Texas. Subsequently, the has celebration spread to states across America. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Popular foods to celebrate Juneteenth include barbecue and strawberry soda.
My family celebrates by honoring our ancestors, their strength, and the debt we owe to them.
-KB
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