Juneteenth: Freedom on Delay

So many people think the 4th of July is the one and only Independence Day celebrated in the United States; however, that would be incorrect.

On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and announced to roughly 250 thousand slaves that they were NOW free! Just in case you did not know…on January 1, 1863, roughly two and a half years prior to General Granger’s announcement, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

When the newly freed people tried to celebrate the first anniversary of the announcement a year later, they were faced with segregation laws that were rapidly expanding. Presenting them with a dilemma. They were not permitted to use any public places or parks for their celebration of freedom. It was not until 1872 when the freed people purchased 10 acres of land, to which they deemed “Emancipation Park”.

Located on Strand Street in Galveston, Texas this marker commemorates the day (June 19, 1865 also known as Juneteenth) when General Gordon Granger announced to roughly 250,000 slaves that they were free. Photo Credit: Pu Ying Huang of the Texas Tribune.

Juneteenth celebrations declined during the era of Jim Crow laws. Towards the end of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. planned the Poor People’s March to coincide with the date, June 19, 1968. The Poor People’s March brought Juneteenth back to the forefront. Many state and local celebrations have taken place to include festivals, commemorative recognitions, and various activities.