Border Heritage Center: Juneteenth

Juneteenth in El Paso, TX

Brief overview

The word Juneteenth stands for June Nineteenth, and it is also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Black Independence Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Juneteenth National Independence Day.

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that as of January 1, 1863, "all persons held as slaves" in areas under rebellion against the Union would be free. However, this announcement did not reach Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to announce General Order No. 3. This order, issued by Union Army General Gordon Granger, granted freedom to enslaved individuals in Texas.

National Museum of African American History
Gift of Ralph E. Becker

General Order No. 3

Texas was the last state to free slaves and the first to declare "Emancipation Day" as an official holiday. The newly freed African Americans did things that were once prohibited to them, such as dancing, singing, barbecuing, etc. As a result, they left their owners and started a new life.

In 1938, former Governor of Texas James Alfred proclaimed the following:

"Whereas, June 19, 1938, this year falls on Sunday; NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES V. ALFRED, Governor of the State of Texas, do set aside and proclaim the day of June 20, 1938, as the date for observance of EMANCIPATION DAY in Texas, and do urge all members of the Negro race in Texas to observe the day in a manner appropriate to its importance to them." ~ retrieved from Wikipedia-Juneteenth.

In 1979, Al Edwards, a Democratic State Representative from Houston, proposed that Juneteenth be officially recognized as a paid holiday in Texas. The bill passed through the Texas State Legislature and was finally approved on January 1, 1980. Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday in the United States on June 16, 2021, by President Joe Biden and the House of Representatives.

El Paso Times, Sunday, June 19, 1994

El Paso Times, Sunday, June 19, 1994, p. 1A

For decades, El Pasoans have celebrated Juneteenth in many different ways, like parades, pageants, festivals, music, free food, craft booths, free entertainment, dance, breakfasts, traditional barbecues, festivals, and even fireworks. As a matter of fact, multiple organizations and clubs, including the McCall Neighborhood Center, Interclub Council of El Paso, and UTEP's African American Studies Program, coordinate and sponsor the festivities.

The clippings below are from The El Paso Times newspaper, which has published accounts of the festivities over the years.