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Posted: June 16, 2006
Plano’s 2006 Juneteenth Celebration will this year encompass a
long-awaited ceremony, the dedication of the “Tracks of our Past and
Future” art wall, Saturday, June 17, 2006, 10:00am – 11:00am, Douglass
Community, 12th Street and Avenue I. The public is invited.
The monumental art wall, adjacent the DART light rail line, commemorates
the rich history and persons who have made the Douglass Community a
vital part of the growth of our city. The 76’ x 6’ mosaic mural of
Italian glass is an awe-inspiring tribute to the history of the
Community and promises to be a major Plano focal point.
Following the dedication, the Freedom and Unity Festival will kick off
from noon – 9:00pm at the Douglass Community Center, 1111 Avenue H,
encompassing several on-going events throughout the day. The Center’s
number is 972-941-7174.
Juneteenth traces its roots back to 1865. It was not until Major General
Gordon Granger landed with his Union troops on June 19, in Galveston,
Texas that Texans learned for real the Civil War had ended and the
enslaved were free. While word may have traveled slowly around the still
predominately unsettled portions of our country, this particular news
arrived an incredible two and one half years after President Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation back in 1863.
Attempts to explain the delay in getting the word to Texas has spawned
several versions, one being the military messenger was murdered en
route, others being that federal troops purposefully withheld the
information in order to ensure one last cotton harvest or to prolong the
workforce on large plantations and farms.
General Order No. 3, issued by General Granger, however, made no bones
about it. Slavery had ended. “The people of Texas are informed that in
accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States,
all slaves are free.”
The anniversary of “Juneteenth” (June 19,1865) soon became an annual
celebration in Texas, and as former slaves now created new lives in
other parts of the country, they began celebratory traditions in those
areas, furthered by their descendents. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated
across our nation, encouraging self-development and respect for all
cultures.
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