On June 19th 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended requiring the remaining enslaved to be set free. I say remaining, because this was more than two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln's Declaration Proclamation.

We honor our nation's independence on a federal level, yet our nation was not free. Those who were enslaved built this great beautiful country into the powerful world leader we are today. It is time to lead by example and honor the United States of America's Independence Day from enslavement.  It is time we recognize Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday!