Hey Houston editor Brooke Lewis contributed to this article.
Tomorrow, June 19 — more commonly known as “Juneteenth,” “Freedom Day,” or “Emancipation Day” — marks a significant day in U.S. history. In fact, the National Museum of African American History and Culture refers to the date as our country’s second independence day.
What is Juneteenth?
On Jan. 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all enslaved people in states that rebelled against the Union were now free. In the lead-up to the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Union soldiers traveled throughout Confederate states to read the proclamation to enslaved people.
On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to find the news had not yet reached the enslaved people in Texas, making them the last to find out about their freedom. Every year after that, the date was widely celebrated in remembrance of the end of slavery in African American communities across the nation.
It’s Place in Denver
In 2022, Colorado formally acknowledged Juneteenth as an official state holiday. The year before, President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth into law as the 11th federally recognized U.S. holiday. And while the City of Denver has only officially marked the day as a commemorative holiday since 2021, the community’s recognition of the historical day goes way back.
According to records at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Five Points, a Texas man named Otha P. Rice Sr. brought the tradition with him to Colorado in the 1950s. He eventually opened a bar, and it’s believed Denver’s first ever Juneteenth celebration was held there in 1966. By 1983, an estimated 60,000 people showed up for the event.
Where to Celebrate
Denver’s annual two-day Juneteenth Music Festival took place over the weekend, but there are still plenty of opportunities to celebrate the official holiday tomorrow, including free museum entry, live mural painting, block parties, and street festivals.
