On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free. About two months after the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union General, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on January 1st, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
A Century and a half later, people in cities and towns across the U. S. continue to celebrate the occasion with what’s been deemed Juneteenth. With the announcement in Texas, freedom didn’t come quickly. Many slave holders withheld the information from slaves until after the harvest was over. The next year, Freeman in Texas organized the first, of what became the annual celebration of Jubilee Day on June 19th. Today, across the Country Juneteenth is celebrated in many ways; Picnics, parades, community programs, family gathering, etc.
Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth a State Holiday. Governor Kelly has signed a Proclamation recognizing Juneteenth Day in Kansas. KOFO will have more on the Juneteenth Celebration as the week goes on.
