AccuWeather joined Sam Collins, with the Juneteenth Legacy Project in Galveston, to discuss how Americans can mark Juneteenth in its fourth year as a federal holiday.
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00:00All right, Wednesday is Juneteenth. The federal holiday marks the day in 1865
00:06when the last enslaved African Americans in Texas learned they were free, more
00:11than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Now
00:16Sam Collins leads the Galveston Legacy Project and he joins us here now live.
00:22Sam, thank you so much for joining us. We'll get right down to it. Why is
00:26Galveston the birthplace of Juneteenth? What events are planned in Galveston for
00:31this week? Yeah, well Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth because Gordon
00:37Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19th and issued General Order Number
00:413, which stated all slaves are free and the second sentence says this
00:47involves an absolute equality. So annually we have events at Ashton Villa,
00:52Reedy Chapel, but because of the weather the Reedy Chapel event has already been
00:56moved to June 29th. Okay, and as this is the fourth year Juneteenth is recognized
01:06as a federal holiday, are you seeing greater awareness at least and
01:09understanding of Juneteenth? Yes, it has created a platform for us to teach and
01:15educate. You know, the thing about this year in 1865, the soldiers ran into some
01:23bad weather as they were trying to go to South Texas June 15th and they ended up
01:30having some of them having to come up to Galveston, many of them being United
01:34States Colored Troops. So with the weather being what it is this year, it's
01:37almost like we're having a historical reenactment even with the weather. I was
01:42just about to point that out. Now really quickly, what is a good way to honor this
01:47day? What should people do to keep in mind the importance of Juneteenth? Yeah,
01:53Juneteenth has become really commercialized since 2021, becoming a
01:57national holiday. But we should always use this platform to educate, empower and
02:03enlighten. This is a day in which the country became better. Better. Juneteenth
02:09celebrates the evolution of our country to a more perfect union. So while we
02:13were not perfect in 1865, we're striving to become better. And as we strive for
02:18this community of absolute equality, which gives every human being an equal
02:24opportunity to grow and develop to the very best version of themselves. We're
02:28not saying everyone should have equal results, but we should create an
02:31environment and community where everyone can grow and develop without hurdles or
02:36barriers hindering that growth. So hopefully, Juneteenth will be used as a
02:40day of celebration and education.
02:44Thank you, Sam Collins. I will be right back after the break. We appreciate you
02:48joining us here on AccuEd.
02:51Happy Juneteenth!