Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth – more important than ever this year when the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked a national movement to end systemic racism.

What is Juneteenth?

On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed a reluctant community in Galveston, Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had freed enslaved people in rebel states two and a half years earlier. He pressed locals to comply with the directive. Although Lincoln proclaimed the emancipation of enslaved people, effective Jan. 1, 1863, enslavers were responsible for telling them that they were free, and some ignored the order until Union troops arrived to enforce it, according to Cliff Robinson, founder of Juneteenth.com. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced. Though the story of Texas’ emancipation is the most widely known, Williams said, other significant events in the history of emancipation took place on and around that date. He said the first known Juneteenth celebrations began in 1866 and spread across the country as African Americans migrated to new cities. Today, 47 states and Washington, D.C., recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday. Juneteenth celebrations have been seen in episodes of television shows such as “Black-ish” and “Atlanta”.
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/5333204002