The preservation of history is of paramount importance. As facilitators of history it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the correct history is told. Too often historical details remain untold which tends to distort the perspective, vision, or view of that particular moment in history. As you cannot leave slavery out of the Civil War, the Japanese out of the detainment camps, the Indians out of the Battle of Little Bighorn, and the Jews out of the Holocaust, we must not leave out the details surrounding the only holiday that commemorates the freedom of slaves in this country.
We ask that as you present information concerning Juneteenth please do not leave out two (2) very important facts:
Texas was the 1st state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday.
The legislation to make Juneteenth a holiday was written and sponsored by State Representative Al Edwards of District 146.
Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves on January 1, 1863. Two years later on June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger at Ashton Villa in Galveston, TX informed slaves that they were freed by the order of the Emancipation Proclamation. The former slaves marked that day as a day of celebration and coined the phrase “Juneteenth.” Although African-Americans continued to unofficially celebrate this event, it was not until 1979 that State Representative Al Edwards pushed through legislation to make it a state holiday. Too often these details are left out which then leaves the impression that Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Granger created Juneteenth, when in fact, the former slaves created the celebration and State Representative Al Edwards with HB 1016 established it as an official state holiday.
Please help us to preserve Texas history by passing this information on. We thank you in advance for your attention and support of these details. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to meet with State Rep. Al Edwards please call 713- 741-8800.
Sincerely,
Al Edwards
We ask that as you present information concerning Juneteenth please do not leave out two (2) very important facts:
Texas was the 1st state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday.
The legislation to make Juneteenth a holiday was written and sponsored by State Representative Al Edwards of District 146.
Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves on January 1, 1863. Two years later on June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger at Ashton Villa in Galveston, TX informed slaves that they were freed by the order of the Emancipation Proclamation. The former slaves marked that day as a day of celebration and coined the phrase “Juneteenth.” Although African-Americans continued to unofficially celebrate this event, it was not until 1979 that State Representative Al Edwards pushed through legislation to make it a state holiday. Too often these details are left out which then leaves the impression that Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Granger created Juneteenth, when in fact, the former slaves created the celebration and State Representative Al Edwards with HB 1016 established it as an official state holiday.
Please help us to preserve Texas history by passing this information on. We thank you in advance for your attention and support of these details. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to meet with State Rep. Al Edwards please call 713- 741-8800.
Sincerely,
Al Edwards
Juneteenth USA
P.O. Box 321473
Houston, TX 77021
P.O. Box 321473
Houston, TX 77021
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