On June 19, 1865—over years months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee General surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia—Union Brigadier General Gordon Granger read General Orders No. 3 in Galveston, TX:
“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, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
In earlier times Juneteenth was often referred to as “the day when the slavin’ days were over.” As former slaves migrated to Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states, Juneteenth became an important celebration outside Texas.
In honor of this significant historical event, Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott will present “When Peace Come’: The Significance of Juneteenth” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 19, at the Allen Public Library. Her program traces the history of Juneteenth events from the late nineteenth century freedmen colonys’ and settlements’ celebrations to the present community events.
In Collin County, early Juneteenth celebrations included picnics where a hog was slaughtered and participants played games while it was roasting.
A post-doctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Garrett-Scott received her Ph.D. in American History from the University of Texas at Austin. “Juneteenth is important to me because it reminds me of the indomitable spirit to believe in something even though everything around you tells you something to the contrary: to believe in freedom and justice in the midst of unfreedom and injustice,” notes Dr. Garrett-Scott.
Shennete, her husband Vincent, and their children reside in Allen. Malcolm is an Allen High School graduate, Dominique is a senior at AHS, and Malik is a sophomore at AHS.
Sponsored by Bach to Books, this program is free.
The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr. Call 214-509-4911 for more information.
