#emancipation day
Emancipation Day
Juneteenth is a holiday observed on June 19th that celebrates the emancipation of the former slaves in the United States.
“Emancipation Day” is truly a holiday in our country that everyone should honor and consider thoughtfully and with great thanksgiving to God.
For His word says “…The Lord frees prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed…” ~…
Celebrating Juneteenth Day: Milwaukee’s 50th Anniversary
On June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received the news about the end of the Civil War and their newly “freed” status. Known as Juneteenth (”June” plus “nineteenth”), the day commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Official celebrations of Juneteenth began as early as 1866 in Southern cities and spread to other parts of the United States in the 1900s. For many years, Black Milwaukeeans held neighborhood block parties to celebrate Juneteenth, but in 1971, Milwaukee became one of the first northern cities to officially host celebrations to commemorate emancipation with their inaugural Juneteenth Day Festival. Today, June 19, 2021, marks 50 years of Milwaukee’s celebration of the day.
This short clip from WTMJ-TV shows footage of the parade, food, and booths during the Juneteenth Day celebration in 1975.
More footage of Milwaukee’s Juneteenth Day celebrations from 1974-1979 is available online through the WTMJ-TV News Search, accessible through the UWM Archiveshomepage.
