SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday marked Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and announced that enslaved people in the United States were free.
San Antonio organizations honored the holiday with educational events, festivals and more.
One of the celebrations was held at Second Baptist Church in the 3300 block of East Commerce Street.
The holiday was marked with music, food, vendors and information and expression sessions inside and outside of the church.
The event’s organizer, April Winn, said this year’s turnout was larger than in year’s past.
Winn said the celebration served as a moment to illustrate diversity and unity in San Antonio.
“We just want everybody to come and have a good time, you know, because it’s not only for us that we’re celebrating freedom. We celebrate unity, also. You know, we always want to keep that unity in there because that’s what brings us together.”
The Juneteenth celebrations started in Galveston, and in 1980, Juneteenth became a Texas state holiday. With the help of Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” June 19 became a federal holiday in 2021.
In the Alamo City, the San Antonio Juneteenth Commission was created in 1996 to honor and celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas.
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