On June 19, 1865 - months after the Civil War ended and more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people - Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to free 250,000 people still held in bondage. The arrival of Major General Gordon Granger and his troops signaled that the Federal Government would not relent until the last enslaved people in America were free.

 

On Juneteenth, we commemorate that day and honor the tireless work of abolitionists who made it their mission to deliver the promise of America for all Americans. We honor the generations of activists who recognize Juneteenth as a way to reconcile our past as we build a new American future together.