Annapolis Hosts Juneteenth Festival, Marks End Of Slavery

ANNAPOLIS, MD — As efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday continue, Annapolis residents are having their own celebration. Juneteenth, held annually on June 19, remembers the end of slavery in the United States.

Festivities

Annapolis will host Maryland's first Juneteenth festival this weekend.

The celebration starts Friday at 6 p.m. with an awards ceremony at the Maryland Cultural and Conference Center. The night will include live entertainment, African-American art and networking.

Tickets are available here. Proceeds will benefit programming led by young people and Black residents for high-poverty neighborhoods.

A parade will follow from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. It will include:

• Civic organizations
• Marching bands
• Dance squads
• Floats
• And more

The route starts at City Dock with opening remarks and a community prayer. It ends at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts with a:

• Closing ceremony
• Musical performance
• Ringing of the freedom bells
• Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation
• Theatrical performance
• Tribute featuring local artists and creatives

A music festival will close out the day from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. The concert will be at the Bates Athletic Complex.

Official Holiday

More and more places, including Anne Arundel County, are recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday. County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18, in observance of the Saturday holiday. Head to this link to see a full list of what offerings aren't available on Friday.

"Celebrating Juneteenth as an official county holiday demonstrates our county's true commitment to freedom and equality — for all," Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement. "The growing national push for observance of Juneteenth is an important step as we move forward toward justice for this community, in light of centuries of racism, discrimination, and inequity."

Some major American brands — like Twitter, Nike and the NFL — have also made Juneteenth a paid company holiday.

Also On Patch: What Is Juneteenth? 5 Things To Know About The Holiday That Marks The End Of Slavery

History

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S., according to Juneteenth.com. It is “a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings.” The holiday now “commemorates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.”

Juneteenth is held on June 19 because that was the date in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free. Many of the slaves in Texas had not known of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had actually given them freedom more than two years earlier.

Granger read “General Order No. 3,” which stated, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves,” according to the city of Galveston, which has a historical marker for its connection to the holiday.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor and African American historian, wrote in The Root magazine that Juneteenth is “an occasion for gathering lost family members, measuring progress against freedom and inculcating rising generations with the values of self-importance and racial uplift.”

Most states have Juneteenth listed as an official holiday, although it is not a national holiday. In 1980, Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday. In the time since, 45 other states have decided to officially recognize the day, according to The New York Times.

Juneteenth celebrations have occurred in most states, according to Juneteenth.com. A number of cities and towns held events and parades for the 150th anniversary in 2015.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• Juneteenth Recognized As Holiday In Anne Arundel
• Juneteenth Festival, Parade Planned For Annapolis
• What's Open, Closed For Juneteenth National Freedom Day

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.