JUNETEENTH: How it became a Federal Holiday

GALVESTON, Texas (TXAN 24) - Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, began in Galveston, Texas. On June 19, 1865—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation—Union General Gordon Granger arrived to enforce the freedom of enslaved people in Texas.

That announcement sparked celebrations across the state, as it marked the real, enforceable end of slavery in the most remote part of the Confederacy. For generations, Black Texans commemorated Juneteenth with parades, prayer services, and barbecues.

Texas officially made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980, the first state to do so. By 2021, it became a national holiday, but its roots remain deeply Texan. Today, Galveston hosts some of the largest celebrations in the country, drawing people from all over.

Juneteenth stands as a powerful reminder of delayed justice—but also of cultural endurance, freedom, and progress.