GREENSBORO, N.C. — Today marks the 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth. It's an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Even though the Black community has been celebrating "Freedom Day" for years, Juneteenth remains largely unknown to most Americans.
Celebrations usually include prayer services, parades, entertainment through song and dance, community events, family-friendly activities, community forums, and much more.
On June 19, 1865, about 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. The announcement, however, came two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, ordering all enslaved individuals in all areas still in rebellion against the United States "henceforward shall be free."