What is Juneteenth? June 19 holiday celebrates emancipation of slaves. Today is "Juneteenth" in honor of one of the final official emancipation of slaves in the U.S. On June 19, 1865, the announcement was made that tens of thousands of African-Americans in Texas had been emancipated , closing the door on one of the last chapters of slavery in the U.S.Juneteenth traces its origins back to Galveston, Texas where on June 19, 1865 Union soldiers, led by Major Gen. Gordon Granger landed in the city with news that the Civil War had ended and slaves were now free. The announcement came two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863 that had ended slavery in the U.S. However, since that proclamation was made during the Civil War, it was ignored by Confederate states and it wasn't until the end of the war that the Executive Order was enforced in the South.
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of African-American slaves throughout the Confederate South. Celebrated on June 19, the word is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth". Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and readings by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.
