On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act commemorating the fact that slaves in Texas were emancipated on June 19, 1865, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. President Biden’s proclamation refers to Juneteenth as, “A day of profound weight and power. A day in which we remember the moral stain and terrible toll of slavery on our country –- what I’ve long called America’s original sin. A long legacy of systemic racism, inequality, and inhumanity.”
Long before President Biden issued his Juneteenth proclamation, the newly freed slaves in Galveston, Texas were celebrating what they called Emancipation Day. Later the commemoration became Jubilee Day and then Juneteenth. The celebration was originally restricted to Texas but as the newly freed slaves moved from state to state they carried with them the Juneteenth celebration.
The first state to declare June 19th a state holiday was Texas in 1980, and the last was South Dakota in February, 2022. This year marks the third national observance of Juneteenth, which is currently a paid County holiday. The colors associated with the Juneteenth flag are red, white and blue. The flag was created as a collaborative effort between Ben Haith, and Lisa Jeanne Graf in 1997. The red, white, and blue symbolizes the freedom of former slaves and their descendants.
You are encouraged to participate in this year’s Juneteenth parade on June 22, 2024. Please click here for the time and location.