Although bad news travels fast, good news often takes the scenic route. That appears to have been especially true during the Civil War. Although Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became official on the first day of January 1863, word didn't arrive in Texas until June 19, 1865.
On that day Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston with news that the war had ended and that those who were once enslaved were now free. One of Granger's first acts upon landing in the Lone Star state was to read Texas General Order #3, which stated,
The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
Although we can't begin to fathom the jubilation these new "citizens" must have felt, we Texans set aside the third Saturday in the month of June to honor the event, an annual tradition known as Juneteenth.
Like Thanksgiving (which also originated in Texas), Juneteenth is a day when families gather to pray, count their blessings, and gorge themselves on great quantities of food. Barbecue mostly. Lots and lots of barbecue. And strawberry soda.
But, for me, the day has come to represent more than just spending time with my friends and neighbors in the black community, sharing food and laughs. It has become a reminder of another kind of emancipation; the day I first heard that other "good news."
For I too was once enslaved -- shackled by chains of sin and death. Long before I was even born, though, the Greatest Emancipator paid the price to set me free. This "good news" was transported across time, carried across continents so that I would know: I had been set free.
Some of us are fortunate and hear this news early in life. For others, word of our freedom comes later. Still others refuse to believe it is true or are satisfied to be slaves to their own fallen nature.
But for those of us who accept it, life becomes something more. True freedom becomes a most precious gift. And every day becomes Juneteenth.
I love to read your everyday stories, but your STORIES of JESUS...priceless...Glad to know you are a forever brother...And a TEXAN to boot!
As a Texan who has lived in Los Angeles for almost a decade (aka Texafornian), I had forgotten about the Juneteenth celebration. Great parallel between the emancipation of the slaves and the freedom of believers. Glory to God for both!
Wow, that is new to me. That sounds like a great tradition! Go Texas!
Amen. This is good news.
The annual observance of Juneteenth provides America with the greatest opportunity to bring about a constructive resolution to the issue of the enslavement of Americans of African descent and the continued racial conflict that affects the nation.
Beginning in the year 2000, during the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, the "3rd Friday in June" has been set aside as the date for the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement. The day was established in recognition of former Congressman Tony Hall's (D-OH) ground breaking efforts to pass a congressional apology for slavery on the "19th of June", Juneteenth, 2000 at the first annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance.
While working closely with Congressman Hall, I learned first hand that America's slave legacy was still a very contemptuous issue for many Americans, who would rather ignore history then embrace the truth. Congressman Cohen's successful sponsorship of the House Apology For Slavery legislation has truly been a blessing to a nation that needs healing from the scars of slavery.
We will celebrate the passage of the Congressional Apology of Slavery during the 2009 National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement. We will also continue to celebrate the passage of Apology For Slavery legislation, along with Juneteenth state holiday and state holiday observance legislation until we reach all 50 states. Five states are presently on record with Apology For Slavery legislation.
America needs healing from the legacy of slavery. The observance of Juneteenth in America affords the greatest opportunity for the nation to constructively deal with that legacy.
I hope that we can all come together on the "3rd Friday in June" every year during the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Enslavement and celebrate as a nation the end of slavery on the "3rd Saturday in June" through the observance of Juneteenth Independence Day in America.
"DOC"
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
www.njclc.com
www.Juneteenth.us
www.19thofjune.com
www.njof.com
The annual observance of Juneteenth provides America with the greatest opportunity to bring about a constructive resolution to the issue of the enslavement of Americans of African descent and the continued racial conflict that affects the nation.
Beginning in the year 2000, during the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, the "3rd Friday in June" has been set aside as the date for the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement. The day was established in recognition of former Congressman Tony Hall's (D-OH) ground breaking efforts to pass a congressional apology for slavery on the "19th of June", Juneteenth, 2000 at the first annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance.
While working closely with Congressman Hall, I learned first hand that America's slave legacy was still a very contemptuous issue for many Americans, who would rather ignore history then embrace the truth. Congressman Cohen's successful sponsorship of the House Apology For Slavery legislation has truly been a blessing to a nation that needs healing from the scars of slavery.
We will celebrate the passage of the Congressional Apology of Slavery during the 2009 National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement. We will also continue to celebrate the passage of Apology For Slavery legislation, along with Juneteenth state holiday and state holiday observance legislation until we reach all 50 states. Five states are presently on record with Apology For Slavery legislation.
America needs healing from the legacy of slavery. The observance of Juneteenth in America affords the greatest opportunity for the nation to constructively deal with that legacy.
I hope that we can all come together on the "3rd Friday in June" every year during the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Enslavement and celebrate as a nation the end of slavery on the "3rd Saturday in June" through the observance of Juneteenth Independence Day in America.
"DOC"
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
www.njclc.com
www.Juneteenth.us
www.19thofjune.com
www.njof.com
I love the way this preacher speaks, as I feel he speaks for God and the true evangelical lifestyle: http://tinyurl.com/6buwmb .