In accepting the Ottawa City Commission Proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, former ECKAN CEO, Richard Jackson said the Emancipation Proclamation had not been recognized in all states and he gave an interesting fact about Kansas being a Free State:
Last year, Juneteenth, June 19th, became a Federal Holiday, recognizing Union General Gordan Grager’s trip to Galveston to give the news to enslaved people there that the Civil Was was over and they had been granted freedom. It’s been celebrated in many states for decades.
Juneteenth will be celebrated Sunday; Lawrence will be having a parade and other activities throughout the day.
