Rice Lake’s inaugural Juneteenth celebration proved to be a joyous occasion filled with dance, music and food as people joined together to commemorate the end of slavery, express pride and promote unity in the face of diversity.
Juneteenth National Independence Day has been a federal holiday since 2021 and commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S. Although Abraham Lincoln signed his Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved African Americans on Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that it was finally enforced in Texas.
