Juneteenth 2021: How Vienna Marks The End Of Slavery

VIENNA, VA — As efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday continue, people in Vienna are celebrating with an array of events of their own as part of Liberty Amendments Month. 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.”

In Vienna, Liberty Amendments Month will begin on Juneteenth (June 25) and each week, a different Constitutional Amendment will be celebrated commemorating amendments that extended rights and liberties to U.S. citizens who were originally excluded from the Constitution.

The first week-long celebration focuses on the 13th Amendment which explicitly banned slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States. The following events will be held:

• An exhibit on the 13th Amendment will be held between June 19 and June 25 at the Freeman Store and Museum and the Vienna Community Museum during hours both places are open.
• A Liberty Amendments Learning Tour will be held all week around Vienna.
• A Time Travel Bicycle or Walking Tour will take place all week around Vienna.
• African American Historic Sites Tour of Vienna A self-guided tour of contributions of Vienna’s African Americans from 1867 to 2006 compiled by longtime residents Sylvia Taylor and Gloria Runyon. More information will be available from Historic Vienna Inc.
• Community Sculpture by Phil Charlwood. Located in front of the Vienna Police Station from June 19-July 19.
• Caboose Tavern Liberty Amendments Month Fundraiser- For every Vienna Lager pint sold during Liberty Amendments Month, Caboose will donate to the ACLU to raise awareness and celebrate voting rights. More information in their Facebook event.
• Kids Can Vote- Kids ages 18 and under can vote on the performer they want to see at the 2022 Kids on the Green Series. Ballots will be collected at the Vienna Community Center, Freeman Store and Museum and Town Hall. More information will be provided here soon.
• 'I Belong!' Essay Contest- 5th and 6th Graders attending Vienna Elementary schools may submit a short essay by June 25 to participate. The essay topic should address: “How do I belong?” For a full set of guidelines and info on the cash prizes visit the Belong! website.

• Vienna Optimist's Farmers Market- 8 am - 12 pm on June 19 at the Vienna Community Center Music, Informative Displays and a few strolling characters on the 13th Amendment.
• Liberty Amendments Month and 13th Amendment Kick Off Event*
• Juneteenth Celebration- 11 am - 3 pm on June 19 at First Baptist Church and live streamed on Facebook and Youtube @TownofViennaVA.
• Liberty Amendments Month Opening Ceremony to begin at 11 am.
• A COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic will be taking place inside the Church during the event.
• Lunch on the Lawn with Harriet Tubman- 1 - 3 pm at First Baptist Church on June 20. There will be a Harriet Tubman performance at 2 p.m. and the event will feature food trucks and more.
• Virtual Film Viewing and Discussion: Mercy's Blessing- 7:30 pm. on June 21: There are an estimated 21 million to 45 million people trapped in some form of slavery today. Mercy’s Blessing is a story of selfless love and sacrifice in the midst of social injustice and creates space for meaningful discussions to take place; such as: Promoting Equality of Women and Men, Becoming a World Citizen and Advancing Education and Social Change. (Due to mention of early forced marriage and sexual exploitation this film is best suited for middle school children and older.) Join the Zoom Meeting here. Meeting ID: 858 0672 1111 Passcode: 232056
• Power of African American Spirituals - 6:30 p.m. June 22 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church
• “The Paradox of George Mason, Constitutionalist and Slaveholder” keynote address by Dr. Gregory Washington, President, George Mason University followed by a panel discussion with Dr. George Oberle History and Director, Center for Mason Legacies at GMU, the Honorable Kenneth R. Plum, Member, Virginia House of Delegates, 36th District, and Councilmember Chuck Anderson. The event will be held at 5 p.m. June 24 at the Vienna Community Center and live streamed on Facebook and Youtube @TownofViennaVA
• Summer on the Green Concert- US Navy Band Cruisers- 6:30 p.m. June 25 at the Vienna Town Green.

• Liberty Amendments Film Viewing: 'Harriet' - 8 pm on June 25 at Emmaus United Church of Christ

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, 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.

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.