Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, 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 nearly two and a half years earlier, on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
While Juneteenth has been celebrated in some form since 1865, it has recently become a more important holiday and annual celebrations are popping up all over the place. This year you can join the celebration at one of these events.
Galveston has embraced its history as the location of the reading of the Juneteenth Proclamation with no less than 23 events, including a lecture series, a march, and a proclamation reading. Find out more here.
Want to stay closer to home? Try :
Austin Juneteenth at the Carver Museum
Pearland Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Mansfield Juneteenth Celebration
Bastrop Juneteenth Cultural Festival