Juneteenth 2021: How Fairfax City Marks The End Of Slavery

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — As efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday continue, people in Fairfax are having a celebration/celebrations of their own. Juneteenth, held annually on June 19, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and the date many slaves in Texas finally found out they were free.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, 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.” In recent years, Juneteenth “commemorates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.”

President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on Thursday. "I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another," he said.

With the signing, Juneteenth has become the 12th federal holiday. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to send the bill to Biden. The Senate had already approved the bill unanimously.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human resources office for the federal government, tweeted Thursday that most federal employees will observe the new holiday — Juneteenth National Independence Day — on Friday since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.

City of Fairfax government offices will be closed on Friday. The CUE Bus will operate on a regular schedule and the Office of Election will also be open with curbside voting available. People wishing to vote should park in the parking lot adjacent to George Mason Boulevard and call 703-385-7891. Trash and recycling will also be collected as usual on Friday.

Fairfax County government offices will be closed on Friday, in observance of Juneteenth. The Fairfax County Health Department's COVID-19 vaccination centers, including the one at the government center, will also be closed.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is hosting events at several locations including Frying Pan Farm Park, Sully Historic Site and Colvin Run Mill.

Families visiting Frying Pan Farm Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m, on Saturday, will be able to learn about how the road to freedom helped inform Black music, food, and worship in America. The day will include in crafts and the opportunity to sample African American cuisine. In addition, Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz will discuss her book, “Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine” at 12:45 p.m.

Residents can also access resources at the Fairfax County Public Library, including books, videos, and discussions about Black history and Juneteenth.

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 an 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. 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.

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

More and more places, such as Anne Arundel County, Maryland, are recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday. County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18, in observance of the Saturday holiday this year, and Annapolis will host Maryland’s first Juneteenth festival with a parade through the state capital.

"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 — Twitter, Nike and the National Football League, included — have made Juneteenth a paid company holiday.