Tag Archives: juneteenth
People celebrate last year’s Juneteenth by riding horses through Washington Park in Chicago. This year, it is a federal holiday.
Natasha Moustache/Getty Images
Food For Thought – A Look Into The History Of Juneteenth.
Happy Juneteenth
The flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF). Haith created the flag in 1997 with the help of collaborators, and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought their vision to life.
The flag was revised in 2000 into the version we know today, according to the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation. Seven years later, the date “June 19, 1865” was added, commemorating the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told enslaved African Americans of their emancipation.
For two decades now, communities around the country have held flag-raising ceremonies on Juneteenth in celebration of their freedom.
Find out more about Juneteenth below