June 2024
June 19 is Juneteenth, a federal holiday honoring this day in 1865 when troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure that all enslaved people were to be freed. Issued January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation marked the end of slavery in the United States. While this was a historic milestone in the fight for freedom, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, didn’t learn of their freedom until June 19, 1865 — more than two years later. Considered the longest-running African American holiday, Juneteenth first was celebrated in 1866, commemorating the day when people of Galveston were freed. Read more here.