Approaching the third year of the Civil War, on September 22nd, 1862, President Lincoln issued an executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation. This declaration was the announcement "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863. However, it was not until, June 19th, 1865 that Major General Gordon Granger and roughly 2000 Union soldiers descended onto Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Nearly two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was law, there were still more than 250,000 slaves in Texas.
Juneteenth was and continues to be both a day of remembrance and an opportunity for African-Americans to honor their history and celebrate Black culture with a focus on education and self-improvement. It's also a momentous occasion worthy of celebration. Pageants, parades, parties... cookouts, kick-backs, and car shows... rodeos, reunions, and receptions... every and any type of function to recognize the end of state-sanctioned slavery - there's a Juneteenth Weekend event being held near you or streaming online! I have one event from each state listed below.
Alabama
National Juneteenth Festival and Parade
Alaska
Free Admission Day: Juneteenth at the Museum
Arizona
Valley of the Sun Juneteenth Celebration
Arkansas
2021 Juneteenth Celebration: Delta Financial Literacy
California
SoulfulofNoise Juneteenth Concert
Colorado
JUNETEENTH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Connecticut
1st Annual Juneteenth "Liberation Day" Festival
Related: This Juneteenth, A Newly Uncovered Poem On Slavery, By A Slave
Delaware
Juneteenth Entrepreneurial Expo
Florida
Miss Juneteenth Pageant 2021
Georgia
JUNETEENTH ATLANTA
PARADE & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Hawaii
Juneteenth Cookout and Scavenger Hunt
Idaho
JUNETEENTH COMMUNITY PANJUNETEENTH COMMUNITY PANEL
AND ANNUAL CHILI TASTING
Illinois
9th Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Indiana
Juneteenth Southern Soul Father Day Celebration
Iowa
Juneteenth Black Business Expo and Tour Jump Off
Related: What D.C. Statehood means for Black-Owned Businesses? Here's a look.
Kansas
13th Annual Kansas City Juneteenth Celebration
Kentucky
Full Circle Comedy Presents: Juneteenth Comedy Spectacular
Louisiana
Juneteenth New Orleans Celebration & Market
Maine
BookHead SweetTooth Celebrates Juneteenth
Maryland
Annapolis’ Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration
Massachusetts
Museum of Fine Arts Juneteenth Celebration
Michigan
Juneteenth Jubilee Stroll on the Historic Avenue of Fashion
Minnesota
Juneteenth Jubilee- A MN Black Box Bazaar
Mississippi
Juneteenth Small Business Expo
Missouri
13th Annual Kansas City Juneteenth Celebration
Montana
Black Heritage FounBlack Heritage Foundation of Yellowstone County
Freedom Celebration
Nebraska
Omaha Freedom Festival feat. Juvenile, Michel'le, KeesheaPratt , TheBankster1
Nevada
S.O.S 2nd Annual Juneteenth Festival
Related: How to Support Black-Owned Businesses for Black Love Day
New Hampshire
Juneteenth 2021 -Art of The Story: Exploring How DNA Powers a Changing Narratives
New Jersey
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION 2021
Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, NJ
New Mexico
JUNETEENTH 2021: "TO A HIGHER GROUND
New York
The Big Black Kickback Juneteenth 2021 NYC
North Carolina
Raleigh Juneteenth Festival
North Dakota
“Faith4Hope Presents” Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Ohio
Juneteenth Jubilee
Oklahoma
Blooming Into Juneteenth with Gapelii Brand
Oregon
Juneteenth Celebration in Medford
Pennsylvania
YPOC JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION 2021
Rhode Island
Juneteenth RI 2021
South Carolina
Lowcountry Juneteenth Week
South Dakota
Brookings Juneteenth Celebration 2021
Tennessee
Juneteenth Jubilee - “It’s the B.O.B. for Me!!!”
Texas
5TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
Utah
Freedom & Heritage Festival: Black Joy
Vermont
Juneteenth Celebration - Fletcher Free Library
Virginia
1st Annual Juneteenth Pageant
Washington
It Takes a Village — Juneteenth Festival
Washington D.C.
Youth Entrepreneur Day
West Virginia
2021 Virtual Juneteenth Celebration
Wisconsin
Burlington Juneteenth Rally
Wyoming
TBA
If there is a Juneteenth event being held in your community, please consider attending with your family and friends. Slavery is not the culmination of who we are as a people, yet we have accomplished and achieved in spite of it. Not only is this a time to celebrate, this is also a time to reflect on our history through a contextual lens in a concerted effort to examine slavery and its direct impact on our country today.
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