Chestin Auzenne-Curl, PhD

On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with 2,000 troops and read: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Though President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, it was not until Union troops reached Texas that many heard the news. That moment sparked what we now know as Juneteenth, designated a federal holiday since 2021. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day.