Its the 150th anniversary of the civil war, and right along with it is the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
Its the 150th anniversary of the civil war, and right along with it is the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
On June 19th, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, TX, he brought with him news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free.
This was actually a full 2.5 years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing Black people in the still-United States, but the document didn’t do much for folks south of the Mason Dixon.
So here in the South, June 19th is remembered annually, and referred to as Juneteenth or Freedom Day.
General Granger walked into Galveston with Order Number 3 (text below) and made the end of slavery a reality in the deepest parts of the South.
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
Still confused? check out this video below:
So how can you honor the history of this day here in RVA or around the state? Well you’ve got a few options, check out details below:
JUNETEENTH, A FREEDOM CELEBRATION – JUNE 19 – 21, 2015
This holiday is the oldest nationally celebrated emancipation commemoration. Elegba Folklore Society programs a combination of history with a contemporary family gathering featuring performances, speakers, The Freedom Market and children’s activities. A symposium and the Annual Torch Lit Night Walk on the Trail of Enslaved Africans are featured. Elegba Folklore Society introduced Juneteenth to Richmond in 1996. (Third weekend in June.)
Juneteenth Event – June 20 @ Booker T. Washington National Monument
On June 20th, Booker T. Washington National Monument will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1865 emancipation of Booker T. Washington and the nearly four million people released from the bondage of slavery at the end of the Civil War. The community event will involve living history portrayals of local events that occurred in the Hales Ford, Virginia area just prior to Washington taking his first breath of freedom in the summer of 1865 when a Union officer read the Emancipation Proclamation on the front veranda of the ‘Big House’. The special event will feature gospel performances from John P. Kee & New Life, Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters, Larnell Starkey & The Spiritual Seven of Wirtz, VA, Marcus Marrow, The Joybells of Axton, VA, and Thomas Cook & Company. Other activities include a children’s village with a petting zoo and pony rides, and an experiential reenactment of the moment of emancipation as Washington remembered it in his autobiography, Up From Slavery.
The event is free. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food vendors will be selling a variety of foods, drinks, and desserts. Juneteenth has been conducted as a special event at Booker T. Washington National Monument for over a decade.
VIRGINIA BEACH HISTORY MUSEUMS CELEBRATES JUNETEENTH
The Virginia Beach History Museums invites the public to join in a Juneteenth Celebration on the grounds of the Francis Land House. There will be a BBQ dinner, speeches, games, traditional songs sung by the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Tidewater Chapter and fellowship.
This family friendly event will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States as news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last enslaved African Americans in Texas in 1865.
Admission includes dinner, a brief tour of the Francis Land House and all activities.
