Tag: Juneteenth
wednesday june 11th 2008
Juneteenth Freedom Fest
The Juneteenth Festival is not unique to Buffalo, any more than it is to African Americans. The fifth largest Juneteenth celebration nationwide, Buffalo's chapter celebrates emancipation of African Americans and others from slavery, but more importantly it signifies freedom for all people, as set forth in the of the Declaration of Independence that is celebrated every Fourth of July.
Juneteenth, however, celebrates June 19, 1865, the day Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army rode into Galveston, Texas in final execution of the Emancipation Proclamation. It is the oldest known observance of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Marcus Brown President of the Board of Directors of Juneteenth, Inc., says, "It took a whole rainbow of people to make freedom happen, and Juneteenth is an opportunity to celebrate that together as a community."
Brown points out that many people suffered oppression and prejudice, and says that it's important to him to educate all people, especi…
