RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Nearly 200 community members gathered at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Monday morning to celebrate Juneteenth.
Juneteenth also known as Emancipation Day, is a federal holiday that remembers June 19, 1865, when United States Army Officer Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to let the last of those enslaved in the city know they were free.
Two years earlier, former president Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. However, in Galveston, Texas, slavery had continued, with approximately 250,000 people enslaved in June 1865.
“That was jubilation, excitement, picnics, barbeques, religious activities at that time,” Dr. Ronald L. Carey, senior warden and treasurer at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, said.
On Monday, June 19, St. Peter’s, along with St. John’s and St. Paul’s Episcopal Churches, conducted their third annual Juneteenth Commemoration.
The three congregations led the celebratory holiday with a religious service, followed by an African folklore performance by the Elegba Folklore society, games and food. Religious leaders said they wanted the mix of activities to provide a different way of story-telling and understanding of our nation’s history.
Community members said Juneteenth is a day of education and celebration of those who were freed.
“To celebrate with them [and] not to create a celebration for them and to become one,” Anne Snyder of Henrico County said.
Anne Hardy, senior warden of St. John’s Episcopal Church, said the day was a reminder of the complexities of racism and white supremacy still seen today.
“The brief take away is how much work we have to do and how far we have come, and that working together, there’s so much promise for the future for us individually and as a community,” Hardy said.
For a list of Juneteenth events continuing throughout the day, click here.
