Atlanta History Center Celebrates Juneteenth With Virtual Programming

The 2019 celebration of Juneteenth was held at the Atlanta History Center. This is from their performance of “Freedom: Jubilee and Uncertainty” being performed at Smith Farm.

Courtesy of Atlanta History Center

Today marks a momentous occasion in African American history—Juneteenth. “Freedom Day,” as it’s also known, is an annual observance commemorating the end of enslavement.

Quick history lesson about Juneteenth:

Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865—the date that the last enslaved African Americans in the United States learned that they were free. Enslaved people learned about this in Galveston, Texas. This was two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after the war’s official end.