Around Town, StoryboardAustin

Around Town: Juneteenth Parade

June 29, 2011 4:12 pm by: Rebecca McInroy

Janel Lee/KUTJanel Lee/KUT

As June comes to a close we thought we would share a video with you from one of our favorite June events: Juneteenth. Despite the high temperatures and unrelenting sun, Austinites, young and old, waved flags, cheered and chased after candy along Comal Street during the annual Juneteenth parade.

Juneteenth became an official Texas holiday on January 1, 1980 thanks to the efforts of then State Representative Al Edwards. It marks the events of June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger and his union troops came to Galveston to proclaim that the Civil war was over and all enslaved people were granted freedom. This was more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.

The parade was a joyous occasion, complete with a marching band, beauty queens, Caribbean dancers, and more. Our multimedia intern Janel Lee put this piece together highlighting Austin’s Juneteenth parade. We hope you enjoy it!

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