Lynwood: What Is Juneteenth?

Press release from the City of Lynwood:

June 17, 2020

This Friday, Juneteenth – short for June 19th – will commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863, it was on June 19, 1865 when General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the war was over and all slaves were free (until then, there were approximately 250,000 people held in slavery in Texas).

Later that year, the 13th Amendment was ratified.

Juneteenth is a State Holiday or a State Observance Holiday in 45 states and the District of Columbia (California is included).

To read more about Juneteenth, visit the following websites:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth
https://www.juneteenth.com/
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/

This press release was produced by the City of Lynwood. The views expressed are the author's own.