Recognizing and understanding the Juneteenth holiday

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – Do you know the story or background of the Juneteenth holiday? Not many people do.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th and it was a day in 1865 where the people of Galveston, Texas learned that they would be free people.

This date came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into effect.

156 years later Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday under the President Joe Biden administration.

“When not everyone is free no one is free. I think there is a maturing of the American psyche and I think that rings true on an international level. WE must acknowledge our growth,” said Collection Manager, Christopher Lohr.

Last week the Belpre Historical Society Museum held a Juneteenth event where Lohr said the crowd that showed up further supports his claim that the American psyche is maturing.

On Juneteenth the Belpre Historical Society Museum will be open from 1-4 p.m.