Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible––and there is still so much work to do.https://t.co/5XCRdnk3iR
"Juneteenth is a time to recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light."—@BarackObama, 2016 pic.twitter.com/WQ2C4QXLG3
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) June 19, 2020
— FilmFatale_NYC 🇭🇹 🇩🇴 🇺🇸 (@FilmFatale_NYC) June 19, 2020
#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourneypic.twitter.com/juqbpOGxYu
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control, some enslaved people would not be free until much later.
For more than 250,000 African Americans, June 19, 1865, signaled the final day of their enslavement. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, Texas had yet to officially recognize the President’s executive order. #APeoplesJourneypic.twitter.com/1eZrAfElgv
Not until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX with 2,000 soldiers on June 19, 1865, did enslaved African Americans learn about their emancipation.
The Obama Diary 