Juneteenth officially a holiday in Louisiana

Juneteenth is now an official holiday in the state of Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards signed it into law on Thursday. Louisiana joins Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Delaware, Alaska, Idaho and Iowa in officially regarding it as a state holiday.

June 19, 1865 is when the slaves of Galveston, Texas, found out the Civil War had ended after Union General Gordon Granger made the announcement of freedom for all slaves in the southwest.

Though the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, many remained as slaves throughout Louisiana until years later.

With the stroke of a pen, ⁦@LouisianaGov⁩ makes Juneteenth a state holiday. pic.twitter.com/SR3e1m9ktM

— Shauna Sanford (@shaunasanford) June 10, 2021

“America needs healing from the legacy of slavery,” states Rev., Dr. Myers, also Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC). “The MAAFA service will coincide with our 3rd Annual National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Slavery. It will be a time of repentance and reflection, as we pray for God to heal America from the legacy of slavery.”

Juneteenth is celebrated all over the nation now and even locally in Vicksburg where there will be a festival held Saturday, June 19.