Juneteenth is one of the oldest holidays in Texas, and it all started in Galveston. It honors June 19, 1865 -- the day Union troops arrived in Galveston to inform Texas slaves that they were free.
The general order came almost three years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
There are multiple events planned on the island Tuesday to commemmorate the holiday. They include an Emancipation Proclamation reading and prayer breakfast at Ashton Villa at 8am, a screening of the new documentary "The New Juneteenth" at 10:30am at Wright Cuney Recreation Center, the Juneteenth Jubilee picnic at Wright Cuney Park and finally the Reedy Chapel's Annual March, Musical and Reception, which is a reenactment of the emancipation procession of January 1, 1886, at 6pm at 2015 Broadway.
Juneteenth is also being celebrated in Houston on Tuesday. Houston's 47th annual Juneteenth Festival is 11am to 8pm at Emancipation Park and will feature church choirs, contests, bands, arts and crafts, dramatic entertainment, speeches and more. Mayor Annise Parker is expected to announce an Emancipation Park renovation at 11:45am.
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