Today the Black Journey celebrates Juneteenth National Freedom Day! Juneteenth is the oldest African-American holiday observance in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union troops under the command of Major General Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, the end of the Civil War and issued General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.” President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier on January 1, 1863, but the news had not yet reached Texas and other southwestern states until June 19, 1865. The formerly enslaved people in Galveston rejoiced after hearing the announcement that they were emancipated. Since then, June 19 has become a day of celebration in recognition of the end of chattel slavery in all of the United States.