History of Juneteenth

Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves' day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. Texas was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation, and though slavery was very prevalent in East Texas, it was not as common in the Western areas of Texxas, particularly the Hill Country, where most German-Americans were opposed to the practice. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1685. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. more...

Juneteenth at SLAC

Juneteenth celebration at SLAC was started in 1989 by Jean Hubbard, Al Mixon, Ben Smith, Al Baker, Al Ashley, Frank Bermuda, Big John Taylor and Fred Clay. It was started to celebrate the freeing of our ancestors and to educate the community with our culture, foods and entertainment. Since Juneteenth celebration started at SLAC over twenty years ago, we have had presentations from notable members of the community, such as: Ronnie Lott, former 49er; Carl Ray, comedian; LaDoris Cordell, CBS 5 Legal Analyst; L. Ricard, Head of Afro American Studies, Stanford University; Colonel William Campbell, Tuskegee Airman; Joe Morgan, commentator for ESPN and a former baseball player; our own Jimmie Davis, vocalist; Ray Taliaferro, KGO commentator and many more.

Juneteenth Resources