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Oregon's Proclamation
History of Juneteenth

"But if this part of our history could be told in such a way that those chains of the past, those shackles that physically bound us together against our wills, could, in the telling, become spiritual links that willingly bind us together now and into the future - then that painful Middle Passage could become, ironically, a positive connecting line to all of us,
whether living inside or outside the continent of Africa."
                                                   -- artist Tom Feelings
Juneteeth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It is a blending of June and 19th because, dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.
 Note that this was 2.5 years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation - which became official on Jan. 1, 1863.
The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new executive order. However, with the surrender of Gen. Lee in April 1865, and the arrival of Gen. Granger's regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later, attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. All or none could be true:
  • Often told, is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with news of the slaves' freedom.
  • Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations.
  • Another, is federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is now celebrated in at least 29 states, including Oregon, California and Michigan, and the District of Columbia. Some states, such as Alaska, Arkansas and New York consider it an official holiday, and close government offices in observance.

** Read more at www.juneteenth.com **