On June 19, 1865, news of the Emancipation Proclamation and its general abolition of slavery officially reached Texas. The date, known as Juneteenth, is observed throughout the state with parades and other commemorations. This video, produced by Harris County Precinct Two, captures the 1997 celebrations held at the JD Walker Community Center, in Baytown, TX.

Covering an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, Harris County is the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous in the United States. Founded as Harrisburg County in 1836, it was renamed Harris County in 1839. While much of Harris County is covered by the city of Houston, it includes many other municipalities, including: Baytown, Bellaire, Clear Lake City, Crosby, Deer Park, Friendswood, Humble, Katy, La Porte, Missouri City, Morgan's Point, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Spring Valley, Tomball, Waller, and Webster. The films in this collection come to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image courtesy of the Harris County Archives and reflect the range of activities and services that the county provides for its constituents.

Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.

2012-10-10 13:05:25

Juneteenth is America’s 2nd Independence Day celebration. Americans of African descent were trapped in the tyranny of enslavement on the country’s first “4th of July”, 1776, Independence Day. It took over 88 years for the news of freedom to be announced in Southwest Texas, the last southern state in rebellion during the Civil War, where enslavement was allowed, over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln. The dynamic leadership of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was very important to the ending of enslavement in America.41 states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance, the District of Columbia, as well as the Congress of the United States. On the “19th of June”, 2012, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance in America.We join our ancestors, Americans of African descent, in the celebration of the announcement of freedom, on the '19th of June', Juneteenth. It was the 13th Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress on December 6, 1865, and signed by the Secretary of State on December 18, 1865, that was the legal action that ended enslavement in America. The 'Modern Juneteenth Movement' recognizes and supports Juneteenth as our National Freedom Day, when we come together as Americans to celebrate freedom from enslavement in the nation. The '19th of June' and the '4th of July' completes the cycle of Independence Day celebrations in America. You can not celebrate freedom in America without both days. Together we will see Juneteenth become a national holiday observance in America!“DOC”Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.ChairmanNational Juneteenth Holiday CampaignNational Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)www.NationalJuneteenth.com

Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.

2012-10-10 13:05:25

Juneteenth is America’s 2nd Independence Day celebration. Americans of African descent were trapped in the tyranny of enslavement on the country’s first “4th of July”, 1776, Independence Day. It took over 88 years for the news of freedom to be announced in Southwest Texas, the last southern state in rebellion during the Civil War, where enslavement was allowed, over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln. The dynamic leadership of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was very important to the ending of enslavement in America.41 states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance, the District of Columbia, as well as the Congress of the United States. On the “19th of June”, 2012, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance in America.We join our ancestors, Americans of African descent, in the celebration of the announcement of freedom, on the '19th of June', Juneteenth. It was the 13th Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress on December 6, 1865, and signed by the Secretary of State on December 18, 1865, that was the legal action that ended enslavement in America. The 'Modern Juneteenth Movement' recognizes and supports Juneteenth as our National Freedom Day, when we come together as Americans to celebrate freedom from enslavement in the nation. The '19th of June' and the '4th of July' completes the cycle of Independence Day celebrations in America. You can not celebrate freedom in America without both days. Together we will see Juneteenth become a national holiday observance in America!“DOC”Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.ChairmanNational Juneteenth Holiday CampaignNational Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)www.NationalJuneteenth.com

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Harris County