Board declares June 19 as Juneteenth Day in the county
The board of commissioners has declared June 19 as Juneteenth Day.
The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, established that all enslaved people in Confederate states shall be set free from slavery; however, many slave owners in the state of Texas did not release their enslaved people.
On June 19, 1865, General Gordan Grainger and his troops entered Galveston, and officially declared the immediate release and freedom of the remainder of enslaved people who were forcefully held captive in Texas for almost three years.
In 1866, Black freedmen organized the first celebration of "Jubilee Day" on June 19 featuring music, ethnic cuisines, prayer services and other activities; and June 19 is now recognized as a ceremonial holiday in 47 states, with Texas being the first to declare Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980.
Commissioner McDonough read the proclamation and county staff and community partners offered remarks at the June 14 meeting.