Ever since 1776, America has acknowledged the Fourth of July as
our day of independence. But there’s another independence day —
today, June 19 —that’s acknowledged by many others as our true
day of freedom. On this day in 1865, General Gordon Granger came
to Galveston, Texas and issued General Order Number 3. The order
came two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation, and is recognized as the day that
slavery came to an end in the United States. While 41 states in
the United States recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, it’s
never been recognized as a national holiday or day of
observance. Rev. Ronald Myers Sr. has been fighting for years to
change that. He’s the founder and chair of the National
Juneteenth Holiday Campaign.