On January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a document that led to the end of slavery in the United States. It wasn't until June 19, 1865 that Union soldiers lead by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to tell the slaves there that the Civil War was over and they were now free.

Celebrations took place in Texas upon that news and Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, was observed with waning interest over the next hundred years or so.

Texas was the first state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980 thanks to the efforts of state legislator Al Edwards. Today, Juneteenth is a time to commemorate African American freedom and is a time for reflection and rejoicing.

Our thanks to Juneteenth.com for much of the information on this page.

Please check back in May 2008 for Juneteenth celebrations in your area.

To be alerted when Juneteenth Celebrations information is available, please join our mailing list.

You may also wish to visit our current seasonal information pages. Please see the menu to the right.
 

click here to order yours today