Juneteenth

Juneteenth

June 19

Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it wasn't until two years later that the word reached the slaves in Texas. General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, with the intention of forcing the slave owners there to release their slaves, and the day has been celebrated since that time in eastern Texas, Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, Oklahoma, and other parts of the Deep South under the nickname "Juneteenth."
Observed primarily in African-American communities, Juneteenth festivities usually include parades, picnics, and baseball games. Although Juneteenth observances can be found as far west as California, many blacks who originally came from east Texas and surrounding areas choose to return home on the weekend nearest the 19th of June.

CONTACTS:
National Juneteenth Museum
2632 N. Charles St.
P.O. Box 7228
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-467-2724
www.juneteenth.com
Juneteenth.com
P.O. Box 871750
New Orleans, LA 70187
504-245-7800
www.juneteenth.com

SOURCES:
AAH-2007, p. 250
AnnivHol-2000, p. 102
BkHolWrld-1986, Jun 19
DictDays-1988, p. 36
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 261
HolSymbols-2009, p. 428
PatHols-2006, p. 109
(c)

Celebration day: Jun 19