Juneteenth: a day to celebrate freedom for all

Today is Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, holiday that marks the date in 1865 when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger led 2,000 troops into Galveston, Texas, to inform the people of Texas that enslaved people were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation —  issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.

Granger arrived in Galveston two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.

He read aloud the order:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans with community gatherings since the 1800s, but little interest existed outside the African American community in participation in the celebrations, according to Juneteenth.com.

“In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding and barbecues. Often church grounds were the site for such activities,” according to “History of Juneteenth” on Juneteenth.com.

Celebrations declined in the Jim Crow era and throughout the 20th Century until the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.

In 1980, Texas, the last state to recognize the emancipation of slaves, became the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday.

New York State made Juneteenth a holiday in 2020.

June 19 was established June 19 as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a federal holiday on Nov. 3, 1983, with legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan.

Juneteenth celebration in Riverhead today

The Butterfly Effect Project is hosting “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Community” in partnership with the First Baptist Church of Riverhead today from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at 1018 Northville Turnpike in Riverhead. 

The free event will feature 25 vendors offering free food and entertainment and a chance to celebrate community, diversity, and history. 

Juneteenth closings and schedule changes

• Banks, schools, the post office, government offices, courts and the stock exchanges are closed today.
• There is no U.S. mail delivery today, but UPS and FedEx will have regular operations.
• The LIRR and Suffolk County Transit buses will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
• Riverhead municipal trash pickup follows a regular schedule today.
• Riverhead Free Library is closed.