Galveston, Texas–Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, but the day is particularly significant to the African-American people of Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth which is short for “June Nineteenth” marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. The arrival of the troops’ was over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. This means that Black people did not receive the message that they had been freed, and had been working under the conditions of slavery on various plantations in Texas.
‘Juneteenth: 1865-2021’ looks back at the meaning of Juneteenth and its history specifically in southeast Texas.
Produced by KHOU11.
