Maine Observes Juneteenth Today

Today is Juneteenth. The name came from 'June' and the '19th.'

It was designated a federal holiday, the 11th national holiday in the US, in 2021. So this is year 2.

However, Maine has observed Juneteenth since 2011, and it became a state holiday in 2022 after it was made a federal holiday.

President Lincoln freed the slaves on January 1st, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect through the 13th Amendment, however there were still states under Confederate control.

And in those days, things took time to get the word out. No Internet back then to make communication instant.

A year and a half later, June 19th, 1865 General Grainger in Galveston Bay, Texas proclaimed that 250,000 enslaved black people in Texas were now free. And the Juneteenth observation began.

What does it mean in Maine?

Obviously, our state does not have a lot of African Americans, but this is a reflection of all of our American history.

Government is closed, so no courts are open and there will be no mail delivery. It's summer break so schools are already closed. And most banks will be closed for the holiday today too.

The rest of us may be working, but hopefully we have a few minutes during the day today to reflect on our country’s past.

I'm sure you've heard the expression the best way to not repeat history is to learn from it.

More information instantly available about the Juneteenth holiday here.