On June 19th of 1865, Major-General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. At that time, he read General Oder #3, which notified Texans of the end of the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery. At that time, Texas was the only state that still had slaves.
Staring the next year, Blacks in Texas began to celebrate June 19th as the day they got their freedom. As Texas blacks moved to other states, the celebration (which came to be called Juneteenth) began to be celebrated in other states. Eventually, it was celebrated in all states and the District of Columbia.
In 1980, it became an official holiday for the state of Texas. And in 2021, it became an official United States government holiday.
I am a firm believer that Juneteenth (Juneteenth Independence Day) is a holiday that should be celebrated by citizens of all races, colors, and creeds. It celebrates the end of slavery -- one of the darkest periods in United States history. How can anyone not want to celebrate that?
