Celebrating Juneteenth in Texas

Juneteenth was celebrated last weekend in Georgetown, Texas, including a gospel music program at Saving Grace Christian Bible Fellowship Church on Friday night, followed by a day of festivities on Saturday at the San Gabriel Community Center.   This was the 62nd year Juneteenth was coordinated by members of the Georgetown Cultural Citizens Memorial Association.    Juneteenth’s origins date back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, announcing the war over and the enslaved free, well over two years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.  Juneteenth celebrations are held all over the country, but this special day has Texas roots.    The little lady on the bottom left in this post, Patience Shanklin, 2, was beautiful, but Patience wasn’t in a smiling mood!