HISTORY LESSON: Celebrating 158 Years of Freedom this Juneteenth

HOUSTON - The movement for justice continues for black people in America. Today commemorates the 158th year since slavery was abolished  in the United States.

10 Historical Facts about Juneteenth

1.  Before the Civil was it was legal in the following states to have slaves:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas 
• Virginia

2. Slavery was officially abolished in the federal territories of the United States on June 19, 1862.
3. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. However, it was not strictly enforced so not all enslaved people immediately found freedom.
4. Major General Gordon Granger and Union Army troops arrive in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. Supported by a military presence, Granger issued General Orders No. 3, officially notifying Texans that enslaved people are emancipated. 

• General Orders No. 3 stated, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."

5. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which officially made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
   This holiday is the first holiday to be approved since President Ronald Reagan signed a 1983 bill that approved Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday.
6. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. 
7. Juneteenth is the 11th federal holiday recognized by the US federal government.
8. Juneteenth has been celebrated under the following names Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day, Second Independence Day, and Emancipation Day.
9. Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas was bought specifically to celebrate Juneteenth. Thewas purchased by former slaves, Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble for $800 in 1872.
10. Former Texas state representative Al Edwards was known as the “Father of Juneteenth”. Edwards sponsored the bill that made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980.
    
    

The Thirteenth Amendment

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Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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Juneteenth Events in Houston 

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Events have been happening all across the Houston Metro area all month long. If you are looking for something for yourself and the children to get involved in today or simply want to celebrate black culture, here are a few things happening in the Houston area today.

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•  Aesthetic Inheritances- Online Screening

Aesthetic Inheritances: Online Screening Friday, June 16 9am through Monday June 19th 11:59 pm The film will be available to view online at DiverseWorks.org for Juneteenth weekend Aesthetic Inheritances is a film project by performance artist Stacey Allen.

• Acres Home Juneteenth Cultural Arts Festival-

Monday June 19th from 2pm - 8pm, at the Acres Home Chamber for Business & Economic Development for our 3rd Annual Juneteenth Cultural Arts Festival. The festival will include food, games, and music, as well as presentations about the history of Acres Home.

• Juneteenth Children's Museum of Houston

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For more info on other Juneteenth events head on over to https://www.juneteenthhouston.org/

Communities, organizations, and institutions around the city have joined forces to showcase all Houston’s Juneteenth events in one space!

www.juneteenthhouston.org

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