President Biden Speaks at Juneteenth Celebration in Galveston, Texas

Juneteenth Commemoration in Galveston

• 📌 Galveston, Texas, is recognized as a birthplace of Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
• 🏛️ The historic Reedy Chapel AME Church in Galveston is a significant site where the order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was read on June 19th, 1865.

President Biden's Juneteenth Address

• 🎤 Former President Biden is delivering a speech at the Juneteenth celebration, highlighting the importance of the holiday.
• 🗓️ His administration established Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021, making it the first new federal holiday in nearly 40 years.
• 📜 The event features dance performances, speeches from Black leaders, and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Significance of Juneteenth

• 💡 Juneteenth marks the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, even though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued two years earlier.
• 🌟 While Juneteenth has been a federal holiday for four years, it has been a state holiday in Texas for 45 years.
• 🎆 The day's celebrations in Galveston include family activities, a mural, a march, and will conclude with fireworks.