June 19, 1865. A day of freedom and indescribable joy. On this date, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure that all enslaved persons were freed. A year later, freedmen in Texas celebrated the first “Jubilee Day” to commemorate the end of slavery nationwide.
As Black people migrated from Texas to all corners of the country, the Juneteenth tradition spread with them. This timeline highlights how the celebration took root and blossomed in Charlotte:
1977: According to Observer archives, June 19, 1977 marks the first official Juneteenth celebration in Charlotte. The Charlotte Equal Rights Congress hosts the event.
1986: The Charlotte Equal Rights Congress sponsors its ninth-annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration. at Revolution Park with approximately 100 people in attendance.
1989: Albert Turner, a civil rights leader who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., joins the 12th annual celebration of Charlotte’s Juneteenth Freedom Day.
In an Observer article published days prior to the event, committee members share their thoughts on the importance of the celebration.
“’We feel celebrating Juneteenth will help educate our youth about where we have come from and the price we paid to get where we are today,” program committee member Thelma McKoy says in the story.
