DALLAS — Many families and communities across North Texas are planning Juneteenth celebrations this weekend.
Juneteenth is a state holiday recognizing June 19, 1865. It was on that day that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and ordered the slaves free. That announcement came more than two years after Pres. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth is now a date that is on the tip of many people’s tongues across the country, after protests and discussions about racial injustices in the U.S., announcements by major companies that it will be a paid holiday, and controversial statements made by Pres. Donald Trump.
Residents in Dallas are keeping Pan African Connection Bookstore, Art Gallert, and Resource Center busy in Oak Cliff. People have been buying a lot of Juneteenth paraphernalia, according to its owner.
”It’s a day to celebrate,” said shop owner Akwete Tyehimba. “It’s a day to celebrate our freedom. It’s a day to celebrate our unity.”
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate how far people have come, but also how far they have to go.
Professor Clarence Glover is a cultural diversity educator. He is also among historians this holiday who are diving into what he describes as an often-untold narrative about emancipation and its link to the Statue of Liberty.
"It was actually given to America, by France, as a symbol to the ending of the civil war… And you see here we have the shackles at her feet which represented the broken shackles of slavery," he explained.
That same link is being discussed in national museums as well.
”This actually represents our freedom story, collectively,” Glover explained.
Celebrations this weekend, will include Juneteenth bike rides, concerts, marches, peaceful protests, programs, and other community gatherings.
Supporters are also encouraging people to ask their Congress members to make Juneteenth a national holiday.
More from WFAA:
- Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis writes play, partners with NFL to help make Juneteenth a national holiday
- Pride flag will be displayed every June in Dallas at City Hall Plaza
- Pelosi orders portraits of Confederate speakers removed from US Capitol
- These companies are giving their employees time off for Juneteenth