History of Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is an important holiday celebrated on June 19th every year to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday has its roots in Texas and has now spread throughout the country.
Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day or Freedom Day, got its name from the date in which Union General, Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver news to enslaved African Americans that they were free. This news came over two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring all slaves in Confederate-held territory free.
The reason behind the delay was that Texas was a remote state, and Union troops could not enforce the proclamation. The state's Confederate troops continued to hold the slaves captive until General Granger arrived on June 19th, 1865, with over 2,000 Union soldiers, to inform the Texan slaves of their freedom.
After Juneteenth, newly freed African Americans began celebrating their newfound freedom, they hosted picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor events to mark the day. These celebrations continued annually throughout Texas, then spread to other states, primarily through migration patterns. By the early 1900s, Juneteenth celebrations were common in other states, such as Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Juneteenth celebrations began to decline during World War II due to rationing and relocations. However, the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s revived Juneteenth celebrations to honor African American freedom and progress. The holiday gained renewed interest in the 1980s and 1990s, leading to its being recognized as a Texas state holiday in 1980.
The interest spilled over to other states, and as of June 2021, 50 states recognize Juneteenth as an observance or official holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it the eleventh federal holiday and the first to recognize the abolition of slavery. Juneteenth became a holiday in the Commonwealth of Virginia when the legislation was signed into law by former Governor Ralph Northam on October 13, 2020.
About the Northern Virginia Regional Commission
NVRC is a consortium of thirteen local governments representing more than 2.5 million residents. The region has a GDP of $250 Billion which is 41.4% of the GDP of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Northern Virginia’s GDP is larger than 23 states and the District of Columbia and if a country would be the 49th largest economy in the world.