What is Juneteenth?
June 19 marks the historical milestone of Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration that marks the end of enslavement in U.S. history. Juneteenth is formed from combining the words “June” and “nineteenth,” and pays homage to the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned from Major General Gordon Granger, along with accompanying Union soldiers, that they had a legally recognized free status across the state of Texas and that the Civil War had officially ended. Then, annual Juneteenth celebrations began the following year in 1866. Juneteenth has also been called Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Juneteenth National Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Juneteenth Independence Day. [Read more…] about Commemorating Juneteenth | Our Yearly Meeting Wide-Witness of Addressing Racism
