Office of State History

Juneteenth is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The origins of the commemoration date back to June 19th, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas first heard that the Civil War had ended, and they were free. The June 19th, 1865 date was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to General Ulysses S. Grant but, due to the lack of Union solders in Texas to enforce emancipation, enslaved African Americans were still held in bondage. That changed on June 19th, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger entered Texas with a force large enough to enforce the freeing of the enslaved.

Juneteenth gets its name from a combination of June and nineteenth and is also known as Black Independence Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Emancipation Day. Juneteenth is celebrated across the nation and previous events included parades, live music, and live speakers that sought to educate, empower and entertain celebrants. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most events have gone virtual, but still seek to commemorate this important historical day. On June 17, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared June 19th a state holiday.

Below is a list of resources and links related to the Juneteenth commemoration:

Juneteenth NYC
https://www.juneteenthny.com/

Juneteenth World Wide Celebration
http://www.juneteenth.com/

New York Public Library: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg

National Museum of African American History and Culture- The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth

National Museum of African American History and Culture- Celebrating Juneteenth
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/celebrating-juneteenth

Smithsonian: Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/juneteenth-our-other-independence-day-16340952/

Texas State Library and Archives Commission- Texas Remembers Juneteenth
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/juneteenth.html

Texas State Historical Association- Juneteenth
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01

Juneteenth of Buffalo
https://www.juneteenthofbuffalo.com/

Syracuse Juneteenth
http://syracusejuneteenth.org/

Events:

Juneteenth NYC Virtual Festival
June 20, 2020 
10:00am-6:00pm
https://www.juneteenthny.com/

Juneteenth 2020- A South Pearl Street Festival
June 20, 2020
12:00pm-5:00pm
https://www.albany.com/event/juneteenth-celebration-33865/

“Looking Back, Moving Forward, Letting Go”
Brownsville Heritage House
June 19, 2020
6:00pm-8:00pm
http://www.juneteenth.com/8newyork_us.htm

“Looking Back, Moving Forward, Letting Go”
Brownsville Heritage House
June 20, 2020
12:00pm-8:00pm
http://www.juneteenth.com/8newyork_us.htm

“Looking Back, Moving Forward, Letting Go”
Brownsville Heritage House
June 21, 2020
12:00pm-8:00pm
http://www.juneteenth.com/8newyork_us.htm

27th Annual Juneteenth Walk
African American Day Parade
June 20, 2020
10:00am
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBekB6SFocL/

Anniversary of Juneteenth Celebration
SummerStage Anywhere
June 19, 2020
12:00pm-8:00pm
https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/juneteenth/

Juneteenth Celebration for the Culture 
West Harlem Piers
June 20, 2020
12:00pm-7:00pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-celebration-for-the-culture-tickets-108992483452?aff=erelexpmlt