Freedom for enslaved people is being celebrated all throughout the month of June in Hays County.
“The institution of slavery for African people in America began in 1619 with the landing of the first slaves on our shores and continued some 246 years until President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, to be effective January 1, 1865,” the proclamation stated. “Civil War did not officially end until April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Official notice to Texas came on June 19, 1865. … The 19th Day of June — or Juneteenth — became a day of jubilation and liberation for Texas slaves, and today is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery in our nation.”
Above, Hays County Commissioner Walt Smith and Rose Brooks, who runs the annual cake auction for Juneteenth. Left, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra chats with Rose Brooks. Photos courtesy of Hays County
