What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a celebration of the emancipation of those who were enslaved in the United States. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring more than three million slaves living in Confederate states to be free. News of emancipation, however, did not reach Texas until a little more than two years later, on June 19, … [Read more...] about Celebrating Juneteenth
Juneteenth Culture/religion: National observance Date: June 19 Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated by many Black Americans commemorating the day the people of Texas were informed of the end of slavery in the United States, thereby freeing an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in the state. The Emancipation Proclamation became official on June 19, 1865, but, according to … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – June 13-19, 2022
Loving Day Culture/religion: National observance Date: June 12 Loving Day is a national recognition of the June 12, 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia finding anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional, thereby removing 16 state bans on interracial marriage. Loving v. Virginia centered around Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving who married in 1958 in … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – June 6-12, 2022
Memorial Day Culture/religion: National observance Date: May 30 Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – May 30-June 5, 2022
Declaration of the Báb Culture/religion: Bahá’í Date: May 24 Declaration of the Báb commemorates the day the Báb, the herald of the Bahá’í faith announced that he was the new messenger of God. The day is one of the nine holy days when work is suspended. Bahá’ís celebrate through prayers and retelling the story of the declaration. Pronunciation: Bahá’í: Ba-HIGH; … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – May 23-29, 2022