SUBMITTED PHOTO Ready to celebrate – Juneteenth volunteers and audience members joined the Hays County Commissioners Court June 4 as the Court proclaimed Juneteenth Month in Hays County. Charity Cake Walk organizer Rose Brooks holds the proclamation, fl
Commissioners Court proclaims June Juneteenth Month
The Hays County Commissioners Court on Tuesday proclaimed June as Juneteenth Month in Hays County and called upon the residents of Hays County to recognize the importance of Juneteenth to human freedom so cherished by the people of the United States.
Juneteenth celebrates the day, two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the word came to slaves in Texas that they were free: June 19, 1865. Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston and made the announcement.
In 1979 Gov. William P. Clements signed a bill into law that made Juneteenth Emancipation Day a state holiday in Texas.
The Juneteenth Foundation, Inc. committee will host Juneteenth festivities that raise funds for scholarships and to assist with other financial needs.