I Was Today Years Old When I Learned That Slavery Ended In Texas

When it come to history, I'm pretty good. Especially when it comes to the wild west and music history. There are some things I'm not too well schooled on though ...

For example, until very recently, I didn't know slavery, (technically), ended right here in Texas.

I have always known what Juneteenth commemorates, as you probably do too but, I didn't know exactly where the events of June 19th, 1865 took place until now.

Juneteenth honors the day, June 19th, 1865, when slaves were finally freed in Texas. The Civil War had ended and President Abraham Lincoln had issued his "Emancipation Proclamation" which officially freed all slaves in the United States of America.

His proclamation came in 1863 but freedom came slowly in many areas.

Not all the confederate states went for it right away and in Texas, the westernmost of the Confederate states, it would take two more years before Lincoln's order was fully implemented.

On June 19th, 1865, 2,000 Union soldiers marched into Galveston and (finally) made it real for everyone.

Among the celebrations planned for Juneteenth in El Paso is a breakfast being hosted by the McCall Center at 3231 Wyoming. In addition to breakfast, Mount Zion Baptist Church Pastor Artie C. Maxwell will be the guest speaker.

The McCall Centers annual Juneteenth breakfast takes place June 19th from 8am - 10am, tickets are $15. To buy tickets or for more info, call 915 - 373 - 5594.

For more on the McCall Center, you can call them and/or you can watch this video.