The Library will be closed on June 19th and 20th.
Some Juneteenth Facts:
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“Freedom’s Eve” on January 1, 1863, marked the first Watch Night services where African Americans gathered in anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation.
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The Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people in Confederate States legally free at midnight.
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Implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in areas still under Confederate control, delaying freedom for many, particularly in Texas.
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Freedom for enslaved people in Texas was officially announced on June 19, 1865, by Union troops in Galveston Bay, leading to the celebration of “Juneteenth.”
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Juneteenth is recognized as the nation’s second independence day, celebrated primarily within the African American community but largely unknown to many Americans.