Today is Juneteenth

(Undated) — Today is “Juneteenth,” a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union Army Major General, Gordon Granger, issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, proclaiming that enslaved African Americans in that area were free. This was more than two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which couldn’t be enforced in areas under Confederate control. Juneteenth celebrations began in 1866, primarily in Texas, and gradually spread to other parts of the country. In 2021, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was signed into law, making it a federal holiday. The public is reminded that, as a result of the holiday, there will be no mail service, banks and markets will be closed.