On June 19, 1865, Union troops finally freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 came to be known as Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, and is recognized today as a national celebration of African American resilience and achievement. Happy Juneteenth!
Happy Juneteenth!
June 19, 2023
