serving in the role for 22 years.
By the Honorable Lynn Ellison
ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE YEARS ago this Friday, more than 10 weeks after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox ended the Civil War, Gen. Gordon Granger landed in Galveston and drove the final nail into slavery’s coffin, proclaiming, “the people of Texas are informed that all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights of property between masters and slaves.”
Granger’s proclamation – General Order No. 3 – ignited a chain of spontaneous freedom celebrations that rippled across Texas and throughout the southwest.
Some of you may be asking, what is this celebration that is called Juneteenth is all about.
Q: What is Juneteenth?
A: Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed. Although rumors of freedom were widespread before this, actual emancipation didn’t come until Gen. Granger came to Galveston almost two and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The date is to African-Americans what the Fourth of July symbolizes for all Americans: freedom. It also serves as a historical milestone reminding America of the triumph of the human spirit over the cruelty of slavery.
Q: Why is Juneteenth not celebrated like the Fourth of July?
A: African-Americans celebrate July 4 with pride, honor and patriotism in the same manner as most other Americans. However, most American history books tells us that African-Americans were enslaved when the United States obtained its independence in 1776, meaning it took an additional 89 years before blacks were finally freed.
Q: But didn’t the Emancipation Proclamation free the enslaved?
A: President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, notifying the states in rebellion that if they did not cease and return to the union by Jan 1, 1863, he would declare their slaves forever free. Needless to say, the proclamation was ignored by the southern states that had seceded from the union. Since those states were not affected, more than 8,000,000 slaves were not impacted by the provision.
It would take almost three more years of war to finally enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to formally outlaw slavery.
Q: When is Juneteenth celebrated?
A: On June 19 or the day proceeding that date. There are more than 200 cities in the United States that celebrate the holiday.
Q: Why were slaves in Texas the last to know they were free?
A: During the Civil War, Texas did not experience any significant invasions. Although the Union Army made several attempts to invade Texas, it was thwarted by Confederate troops. As a result, slavery continued to thrive in the state. Because slavery in Texas experienced such a minor interruption, many slave owners from other slave holding states brought their slaves to Texas to wait out the war.
Through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African-American state legislator, on January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday. The successful passage of the bill marked Juneteenth as the first Emancipation Celebration granted official state recognition.
Slavery taught Americans another lesson, one that is too often ignored. Blacks and whites worked together to create anti-slavery movements that ultimately succeeded. Later, they fought and died together to help force an end to slavery. Some blacks and whites have worked together throughout our history for social justice.
This lesson of cooperation must never be forgotten, so we must all celebrate Juneteenth. It is the positive legacy of perseverance and cooperation that makes it impossible for others to ignore.
Lynn Ellison has spent most of his life in the service of advancing African-Americans in the Texas City area toward equality. The Booker T. Washington graduate was the first African-American to be elected as the District 3 City Commissioner, serving in the role for 22 years. He is still active within the community and is currently working on a book about his family, which will be titled “From Whence We Came.”
