Another painting with the kiddos. I just wanted to keep painting them. Juneteenth was coming up and why not have them share the facts and history of this special day?

Juneteenth is African American Independence Day, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. It’s a strange and unsettling story. After the Civil War, in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was passed by Abraham Lincoln freeing all enslaved persons. However, in Texas as in other southern slave states, losing free slave labor was not going to happen. Slave owners had too much to lose.

Federal intervention was necessary. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law, US Major General Granger was ordered to go to Galveston, Texas with his troops and force implementation of the law. On June 19, 1865, enslaved persons in Texas were finally  free.

The name Juneteenth is a combination of June and the 19th. African Americans have been celebrating this important date by joining together in community gatherings, festivities, singing, food, and fun. In 1979, Texas became the first state to declare Juneteenth a holiday. President Biden declared it a national holiday in 2021. Some states still do not recognize Juneteenth.