I Blog Poetry and Prose

Juneteenth

Istiqlál (Independence), 16 Núr (Light) 177 B.E. Friday, June 19, 2020

Day 19 entry for "The Bard's Hall Contest" .

On June 19, 1865, federal troops enter Galveston, Texas, to make sure that all the slaves in America were freed. This was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation1 was signed. It was on Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) that U.S. General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”2 This day should be a national holiday, that is celebrated with parades, fireworks, picnics, and education about the effects of slaver, which America is still dealing with today.

Footnotes
1  https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/emancipation-proclamation
2  https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth