Brief History of Juneteenth

• June 19, 1865 – Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved Black people were free.
  
  
• This day became known as Juneteenth, combining “June” and “nineteenth.”
  
  
• It marked the end of slavery in the last Confederate state, though Black Americans remained unfree in many other ways due to systemic racism and violence.
  
  

Juneteenth Traditions

• Rooted in Black joy, resistance, and remembrance.
  
  
• Celebrated with parades, readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, family reunions, red foods, and cultural performances.
  
  

National Recognition

• Long celebrated in Black communities, but not recognized nationally until June 17, 2021, when President Biden, flanked by Vice President Harris, declared it a federal holiday.
  
  

Honoring Opal Lee – the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”

• Born: 1926, Fort Worth, Texas.
  
  
• At age 89, Opal Lee walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. to campaign for Juneteenth to become a national holiday.
  
  
• She walked 2.5 miles each day to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for freedom to reach Texas after the Emancipation Proclamation.
  
  
• Her decades-long activism led to widespread support and ultimately helped secure federal recognition of Juneteenth.
  
  

Celebrate Her Legacy

• Read her story: Juneteenth: A Children’s Story (she’s also an author).
  
  
• Walk in her honor.
  
  
• Share her message: “None of us are free until we’re all free.”
  
  

What does freedom mean to you today—and how can you make it real for someone else?

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