Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, which would declare all enslaved people free January 1, 1863, in any rebellious state who had not yet surrendered to the Union.
On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Grander arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver the news that the Civil War had ended two years prior, meaning that Texas slaves had spent an additional two years enslaved after they were officially freed by order of the federal government.
June 19, or Juneteenth, has become a celebratory holiday for Black Americans in Texas, as well as around the country, to remember the trials their ancestors had to endure and to commemorate how far the community has come.
Texas State Associate Professors of History Dr. Dwonna Goldstone, Dr. Ronald Johnson and Dr. Dwight Watson explain the significance of Juneteenth, past and present, and address issues regarding the knowledge of the holiday at Texas State and across the country.
Dominique Woods makes the shape of a heart with his hands, Friday, June 5, 2020, at an organized protest advocating for black lives. Woods is an alum of Texas State and said that his mother was wrongly imprisoned. He returned home to San Marcos to fight for what he believes.
