Juneteenth Flag Raised In Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County hoisted the Juneteenth flag, commemorating Black history and the end of slavery in the United States, during a special event Tuesday morning.

The ceremony took place at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

Montgomery County Commissioners Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija gave remarks at the event, along with State Rep. Matt Bradford and multiple other local dignitaries and justices.

In addition to raising the flag, officials also recognized the winners of the county's Art and Prose of Freedom Youth Contest. Students of all ages competed in different categories with poetry, essays, and artwork that elaborated on the theme of "Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow."

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans that the Civil War was over and slavery had been abolished.

While symbolically important, this did not end slavery in the United States. That did not occur until the passage of the 13th Amendment several months later, that Dec. 1865.

However, Juneteenth, which has been recognized in some form for 155 years, is the "oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States," according to Juneteenth.com.