Juneteenth, the celebration of freedom
Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and the fight for its fulfillment. It is one of the oldest known celebrations commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 15, CareNow will host the 4th annual Juneteenth parade, which will be held downtown, and the celebration will continue on the historic courthouse lawn. The parade will begin at noon.
Tammy Gibson, an African American historian, will be the guest speaker. Local performers will provide entertainment.
Food trucks and vendors will be set up for those who enjoy delicious food and shopping, and free Bombas socks will be available. Kids will enjoy free face painting, cotton candy, and snocones. A blood drive and much more will be available for the whole family.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. The fairly new holiday commentates the historic June 19, 1865 event, when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War was over and that the enslaved people there, around 250,000, were now free.
The orders read. “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with the proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. 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 by idleness either there or elsewhere.”
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on June 1, 1863, declaring “that all persons held as slaves” (within the rebellious states) “are free and henceforward shall be free.” The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways because it only applied to the states that had seceded from the United States, leaving slavery untouched in the loyalbordered states. It was also enforced only in the Confederate States, which were liberated by Union troops. This did not include Texas.
The Senate passed the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, and it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. But even though all this had taken place, it was not until April 9, 1865, in the home of Wilmer McLean in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, that United States Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee met where General Lee signed the surrender.
Though slaves were lawfully freed, they were far from being free. In some accounts, they were punished for trying to take advantage of their new rights. Some were shot and hung. It took some time before some actually received the law.
It has been 158 years since June 19, 1865, when Union General Granger led his troops into Galveston, Texas, thus making Juneteenth, coined by blending the words June and 19th.
Juneteenth is when families gather and measure progress against freedom; during this time, people teach the younger generations the importance of self-improvement. Let us celebrate by remembering the past and moving toward the future to involve an absolute equality of personal rights and grow as a free nation.