Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the freedom of the slaves in the United States. The name Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and nineteenth. The day is also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day.

Here are some Juneteenth Facts:

• On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect abolishing slavery. Texas would not accept the Emancipation Proclamation and kept their slaves. 
• More than 200,000 African Americans were still enslaved in Texas after the Emancipation Proclamation.
• On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger along with Union soldiers entered Galveston Texas and forced them to free their slaves.
• Texas was the first state to declare Juneteenth a holiday on January 1, 1980.
  
• There is a flag that represents Juneteenth. It has a rectangle on it. The top of the rectangle is blue and the bottom is red. There is a white 5 point star in the middle.
• Juneteenth is celebrated in many different ways with BBQ's, reading of poems, singing songs and more.