"Juneteenth", which is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth", is a secular holiday that celebrates the legal end of slavery in the United States. June 19.1865 marked the date that General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 proclaiming the end of slavery in Texas. African Americans began holding celebrations marking the historic event in the year that followed, and those celebrations have continued across the nation ever since. In Virginia, the day was often called "Emancipation Day" or "Freedom Day", though it's now more commonly referred to as "Juneteenth." On October 13, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation officially marking June 19th as "Juneteenth" and as an official state holiday in Virginia.
For more information on the history of Juneteenth and its development in Virginia, visit the Encyclopedia Virginia website.
For special Juneteenth 2021 celebrations in Lexington, Virginia, visit Lexington's website.
Be sure to check out Preston Library's display on Juneteenth, too!
0 Comments.