Significance of Juneteenth: Emancipation of enslaved African Americans

Hello Everyone,

We hope you all are enjoying your day off. As of June 15, 2021, Juneteenth has been officially recognized as a federal holiday! Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) marked the day where African American slaves in Texas received their freedom. 

Weren’t slaves free when the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863?

No, not exactly. Some places under Confederate control, such as Texas, did not implement the proclamation. As a result, slaves in that area were not free until June 19th, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. This day became known as “Juneteenth” by newly freed people in Texas. When more than 250,000 slaves were freed about two years after others were considered free. In commemoration of that day, many African Americans acknowledge Juneteenth since it is when their ancestors gained their freedom.

Learn More about Juneteenth:

Juneteenth.com

National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution

Texas State Historial Association

Deborah Owusu SNDA President

Najah Lewter SNDA Vice President