Jenkins Celebrates Juneteenth

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free” (CRS Report). 

It was 160 years ago that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of this proclamation. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free – nearly two years after President Lincoln officially emancipated enslaved people in America.

This day came to be known as Juneteenth, often referred to as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or Black Independence Day. Juneteenth — a name combining “June” and “nineteenth” — is now celebrated as a symbolic date with “roots tying back to Texas soil from which all remaining American slaves were finally granted their freedom” (NJOF). 

In 1980, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, per H.B. 1016. In July of 2021, nearly 160 years after the official proclamation, Juneteenth was officially acknowledged as a federal holiday with the signing of S. 475 (CRS Report). This historic feat would not have been possible without the efforts of Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” (Daily World). Lee’s work started more than 40 years ago, as a community activist in Texas. She initiated a city-by-city walking campaign from her home in Fort Worth to the nation’s capital, to spread the word about Freedom Day. Speaking to communities on her way, Lee walked two and a half miles in each city to symbolize the two and a half years it took for enslaved people in Galveston to learn of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. 

In Philadelphia, there are a number of events planned to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday in 2025. One upcoming event on Sunday, June 22, is the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival, started by the Pennsylvania Juneteenth Initiative, or PAJI. PAJI is a Philadelphia-founded organization with a mission to provide information to the public concerning the history and significance of Juneteenth. Visit Philadelphia has compiled a Guide to Juneteenth Celebrations in the Greater Philadelphia area this year.

Jenkins Law Library will be closed this Thursday, June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.