Happy Juneteenth

 It's #Juneteenth, 2022. How wonderful to have Juneteenth as a national day of celebration of Black freedom and American history.

Today marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 upon which slaves in Texas learned that they were free. At that time, there were an estimated 250,000 slaves in Texas. As news of the end of the Civil War moved slowly, it did not reach Texas until May 1865, and the Army of the Trans-Mississippi did not surrender until June 2. On June 18, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island with 2,000 federal troops to occupy Texas on behalf of the federal government. On June 19, standing on the balcony of Galveston's Ashton Villa, Granger read aloud the contents of "General Order No. 3", announcing the total emancipation of slaves:

"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."

Texas was the first state to proclaim Juneteenth a holiday. The legislature passed the act in 1979, and Governor Bill Clements, Jr., signed it into law. The first state-sponsored Juneteenth celebration took place in 1980.

Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. This year, the Juneteenth federal holiday will be observed in the U.S. on Monday, June 20, 2022.

Juneteenth celebrations such as parades, picnics, and parties are taking place this weekend nationwide in the USA and perhaps elsewhere.

(photo) June 19th 1900 Celebration in Austin, Texas

Credit (maybe) Grace Murray Stephenson, and/or Austin History Center, or so I believe, but am uncertain of. Reply below if you can confirm or change.

Happy Juneteenth