Juneteenth

June 18, 2021 - On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the Confederate states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” However, since the Civil War was still going on, the Proclamation could not be enforced in most places under Confederate control. As a result, in Texas, which was the westernmost Confederate state, enslaved people were not freed until more than two years later when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay on June 19, 1865. This day of celebration came to be known as "Juneteenth,” and is celebrated every year on June 19 in many places of the country, including in Washington State as an official state holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday as well.

Ellen Miles, Programming & Outreach Coordinator

June 18, 2021