Facing South reminds us that today is Juneteenth, a celebration of the day in 1865 when Union troops rode into Galveston, TX bringing with them news that the Texas slaves had been free for 2 years (a fact that white Texan slaveowners kept secret, along with news of Lee's surrender two months before).
When I was growing up in Texas I remember Juneteenth being a quasi-holiday that got a lot of publicity. When I was in high school it became an official Texas holiday. I've rarely heard anything of it since moving to Tennessee.
Happy Juneteenth, freedom lovers! Even in Tennessee!
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