Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) is a national holiday that commemorates the effective ending of slavery in the United States. Observances have been taking place all weekend, with prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings, and festivals held across the country. With the 19th falling on a weekend in 2022, we recognize the federal holiday today on Monday, June 20.
The origin of the holiday dates to the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston to take command of what was then the District of Texas. Although the War had ended two months earlier at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, slavery had remained unaffected in this part of the country, as slave owners in fallen Confederate states had fled to Texas, bringing over 100,000 enslaved Black people against their will. Upon his arrival, with nearly 1,800 troops to enforce the law, General Granger read out General Order Number 3: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
On June 19 of the following year, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. Celebrations began to spread to other parts of the country within a few years. States began to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday beginning in 1980, with Texas as the first. The federal holiday was signed into law by President Joseph Biden on June 18, 2021, nearly 156 years after the reading of General Order Number 3.
Today, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. As we APSHO members celebrate and commemorate Juneteenth Day, may we also recommit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice.