150 year anniversary of Freedom Day ('Juneteenth')

Thomas Nast's celebration of the emancipation of Southern slaves with the end of the Civil War. Nast envisions a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of free blacks in the United States. (GETTY IMAGES)

Credit: Universal History Archive

Credit: Universal History Archive

Thomas Nast's celebration of the emancipation of Southern slaves with the end of the Civil War. Nast envisions a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of free blacks in the United States. (GETTY IMAGES)

Today, June 19, 2015, is the 150 year anniversary of Freedom Day, also known as ‘Juneteenth.’ On June 19, 1865, word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the state of Texas, and all remaining African American slaves throughout the confederate south were set free.  While ‘Juneteenth’ (a combination of ‘June’ and ‘nineteenth’)  has not yet become a National Holiday, it has become widely recognized as a day to celebrate the official end of slavery in the United States.

Local celebrations this year include the 25th Annual Ohio Freedom Festival in Columbus and the Cincinnati Juneteenth Festival, both scheduled for this weekend.