 "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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."
- Maj. General Gordon Granger, Union Army
Even though slavery officially ended with President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, word of freedom moved across the nation slowly. News of freedom spread and was enforced for nearly two and a half years before reaching the Port of Galveston, Texas.
There, with two sentences, slavery in Texas was ended on June 19, 1865.
And Juneteenth was born.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the nation. Since its beginnings, it has been a day for recognizing God’s blessing and celebrating hope and opportunity.
In its early years, Juneteenth was a time to gather with family, especially those who had been previously separated by slavery, and with friends. Speakers were called upon to share the stories of the past and to inspire excellence for the future. It was a time for food and entertainment and prayer.
Today, Juneteenth events hold true to the same spirit of honoring the past, celebrating the present, and preparing for the future. It is a time for recognizing the sufferings caused by slavery and honoring those harmed by it. It is a time for celebrating the joy felt in the moment when one realizes what it means to be free. And it is a time to recommit to building a better tomorrow for people of all races, creeds, and economic levels.
What can you do to celebrate Juneteenth?
• Read more about the history of Juneteenth.
• Wish five people a Happy Juneteenth! (They’ll go scrambling to Google it.)
• Invite friends over for dinner. Tell them about Juneteenth. Pray for healing among the races and for an end to racism in our country.
• Take a personal inventory – where has racism crept into your life? What will you do to change it?
• Help end slavery around the world today.
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