SAN ANTONIO – President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, that Union soldiers landed at Galveston with news that the enslaved were free. Now that day, Juneteenth, is a nationally celebration commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
“It’s a history of our lives and where we have come from,” said friend of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAACAM) Charla Hutchens, “and it reflects our joyousness of being free, to be a free person, to not be enslaved.”
“There are some business people here in San Antonio on the East Side that organize a parade. It usually starts over on Houston Street past East Sam Houston High School,” Susan Glosson, friend of SAACAM, said.
It is a two-day festival, but it was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
You can find more information on how San Antonio is celebrating Juneteenth 2020 in this article.
Happy Freedom Friday!