Juneteenth marks the United States’ second independence day, a celebration of the day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the westernmost Confederate state on June 19, 1865. In 2023, President Joesph R. Biden proclaimed the day a federal holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when a group of Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War had ended and, along with it, anyone enslaved was now free. Amazingly, the news of freedom came nearly two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. News of freedom was met with shock and joy. The term Juneteenth was coined to celebrate this occasion and as a way to remember and celebrate this occasion. 

Beech Acres Parenting Center celebrated Juneteenth with food, music, fellowship, and freedom at our annual Juneteenth Celebration. Enjoy these photos from our Freedom Day Celebration! Beech Acres will be closed in commemoration of today’s holiday.