Juneteenth Recognized As Holiday, Festival Set In Prince George's

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — As efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday continue, Prince George's County residents are having their own celebration. Juneteenth, held annually on June 19, remembers the end of slavery in the United States.

Official Holiday

More and more places, including Prince George's County and neighboring Anne Arundel County, are recognizing Juneteenth as a legal holiday. The Prince George's County Council officially honored June 19 as a holiday by passing a bill last October.

County offices and several services 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.

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

Festivities

The county released a slate of hybrid events after Annapolis announced that it will host Maryland's first Juneteenth festival. From racial discussions to DJ battles, here is what the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation has planned:

• June 14 – 19 (Virtual) -Art Exhibition: Andi Cullins (Fiber Artist)
• June 17, 7 – 8:30 p.m. (Virtual) - Panel Discussion: Finding the Path to Healing - Addressing Historical Trauma and the Black Experience
• June 18, 5 – 7 p.m. (IN PERSON) - Juneteenth Celebration Kits Handout Drive-through. Juneteenth celebration kits for individuals to take home and plan their own celebrations. Kits include games, activity books, and historical information on Juneteenth. Limit of 2 Kits per vehicle. Drive-through locations are Montpelier Arts Center, Ridgeley Rosenwald School, and Oxon Hill Manor.
• June 19, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Virtual) - Footprints and Roots: Organized by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Prince George’s County Chapter. Keynote Speaker is Professor Dale Green, School of Architecture and Planning (Historic Preservation), Morgan State University.
• June 19, 1 – 3 p.m. (Virtual) - Juneteenth DJ Battle. Livestream event will feature DJ 2Tone Jones and DJ Miss H.E.R.
• June 19, 1 – 3 p.m. (IN PERSON) - Juneteenth Mini Celebrations. These small in-person celebrations will include music, history activities, and arts activities. Celebrations will include stepping workshops led by Step Afrika! and art activities led by Creative Suitland and Words Beats & Life. Venues are Montpelier Arts Center, Ridgeley Rosenwald School, and Oxon Hill Manor.

Click here to register for any of these festivities.

The Prince George's County Memorial Library System will also sponsor a series of talks, lessons and cultural activities throughout the month. More information on these events is posted on the library's website.

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.

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RELATED:

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

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