Juneteenth: A National Holiday

 On June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were now free. This was two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which had become official on January 1st, 1863.

The day was celebrated locally at first, but eventually made its way to other states and became known as Juneteenth. In 2021, Juneteenth was recognized as an official National Holiday when President Joe Biden signed a Bill from Congress designating it as such. Juneteenth is also called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day,

The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves.  The Emancipation Proclamation freed only slaves in states that seceded from the United States of American during the Civil War.  It took the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 to free all slaves in the United States.  The seed of freeing all slaves however was planted with the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier.

Juneteenth is celebrated in a variety of ways. For many, it is a day to remember those who lost their lives during the struggle for freedom. It is also a day to celebrate African American culture and to reflect on the Civil rights struggle in the United States.

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