Galveston, birthplace of Juneteenth, to honor day as official city holiday 156 years later - KPRC Click2Houston

dogol.indah.link

After more than 150 years, the city of Galveston has finally made Juneteenth an official city holiday.

This initiative was pushed by first-time councilman William Schuster, who is also a US History Teacher for Galveston ISD.

Mayor Craig Brown said this acknowledgment was well overdue. Making it official means non-emergency city offices will be closed and city government employees will get a paid day off.

Several other cities and states have also begun to observe Juneteenth as an official holiday, including 45 states and Washington D.C.

3 ways to support Houston Black-owned businesses during Juneteenth

Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth, marking the day that Black slaves in Texas were informed that they free.

The official order was read through the city nearly two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the end of the Civil War. Slaveowners in Texas, one of the furthest slave states, refused to acknowledge the end of slavery, and a few Union soldiers were called in to enforce it.

Also known as Emancipation Day, communities across the country often commemorate Juneteenth with parades, re-enactments, choir presentations and other events.

The Link Lonk


June 07, 2021 at 08:51AM
https://ift.tt/2RsGl0n

Galveston, birthplace of Juneteenth, to honor day as official city holiday 156 years later - KPRC Click2Houston

https://ift.tt/2QoXNjh
Holiday