Join the 14th Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Brewer Today

Today, June 19th, is known as Juneteenth, and marks the end of slavery in America. Also known as Black Independence Day, a celebration will be held at Brewer's Chamberlain Park from noon to 1:30.

Even though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,1863, it took almost three years for word to travel all over the United States. The last community of slaves to be freed was in Galveston Texas, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived and freed a community of slaves. Granger and a group of Union soldiers had been traveling all through the South for almost two years announcing the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is a state holiday in Texas. 43 other states, including Maine, observe it with ceremonies, cook outs and parades. Today's Juneteenth celebration is happening at Chamberlain Park in Brewer from noon to 1:30 and is free.