5 Things You May Not Know About Juneteenth

June 19th marks a very important day in our nation's history.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger's reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, proclaiming all slaves in the state were now free. (Juneteenth.com)

If you don't know much about the holiday known as 'Juneteenth', let us share some facts with you.

1. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed slaves in 1863, and the Civil War had all but ended, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, so enforcing the proclamation was a slow and inconsistent process.

2. Juneteenth was overshadowed by the 1960's Civil Rights movement but had a resurgance in the 70's.

3. It is not an official U.S. holiday, but is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 49 of the 50 states.

4. It's also referred to as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, and Liberation Day.

5. The TV series Black-ish dedicated an entire episode to it.

By the way, civil rights activists continue to lobby to have Congress recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Perhaps, the recent Black Lives Matter movement across the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd will encourage those in power in Washington, D.C. to do so.

SOURCES: Juneteenth.com; wikipedia.org

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