Juneteenth celebrations across the state
Juneteenth
Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth") marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The arrival of the union troops did not occur until two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States. It is considered the longest running African American holiday.