While Juneteenth marks the emancipation of the enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation actually went into effect two years earlier on January 1, 1863.
So what took so long for the enslaved people to find out they were free?
Dr. Daisy Century, a historian and performer, will delve into what happened in those two years during The Story of Juneteenth: A History of the Holiday program taking place at the Main Library on Monday, June 8 at 7:00pm.
The program will also focus on the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Watch Night, Galveston, Opal Lee, and the Juneteenth flag, as well as present day celebrations throughout the United States, songs, poetry, and posters.
Dr. Century has presented at the National Defense Organization, Belmont Mansion, National Archives, Sojourner Truth House, Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site, and numerous schools, libraries, museums and historic sites throughout the United States. She is also a published author—writing under the name Emily Nelson, and an accomplished singer.
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