"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.
Pete Souza: President Obama greets Harry Belafonte during a dropby in the Oval Office today. The legendary singer, actor and activist is in town for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Pete Souza: Vice President Joe Biden greets 99-year-old Ruth Bonner, a daughter of a young slave who escaped to freedom, as Dr. Jill Biden greets another generation of the Bonner family who rang the Freedom Bell with the President and First Lady to mark the official opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The Obama Diary 
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