Two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the news, traveling slowly, finally reached the island of Galveston in southern Texas. On that day, June 19th, 1865, Union Major-General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 there in public:
"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...."
Texas has been celebrating "June teenth" ever since, pausing only for World War II. Think "Fourth of July," and you have the idea. Subsequently, Black groups bought land for parks to celebrate -- Houston's and Austin's Emancipation Parks and Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia.
Juneteenth ("Emancipation Day") has been a state holiday in Texas since 1980 -- and is a holiday in a few other states.
Now, however, the U.S. Senate has unanimously voted to make June 19th a federal holiday, one of eleven on the annual calendar. (Only federal employees have the day off so far.) As soon as the House votes Yea and President Biden signs the bill, it'll be official.
It's about time!
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senate-passes-juneteenth-national-holiday_n_60c915dde4b09ba204a9d24b?fbclid=IwAR36rI2OQS_3FBKtoiOHlqz1qxVKAEZaSYwUWStzy6NjLuLuG7fGef8Py_g
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