The Meaning of Juneteenth -- Enslavement to Emancipation

   June 19, 1865 was a date that means so much to Texas and African-Americans. On that day in Galveston, Texas, slaves learned they were no longer bound by the slave owners. They were free. Actually realizing that freedom didn’t come easily. 'Juneteenth:1865-2021' is a documentary that looks back at the meaning of Juneteenth and its history not only in southeast Texas, but also its significance for black Americans across the land.

   What better way to honor the day than to hear the story from the lips of today’s African-American historians, experts, citizens, as well as the remarkable 94-year-old (in 2021) Opal Lee, known as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth.' 

   This documentary, created by the KHOU TV11 Staff, originally aired on June 16, 2021, on KHOU in Houston, Texas. It told the history of Juneteenth and its significance in what may be the best available retelling of the meaning of the day.

   Juneteenth—the celebration of freedom of African-Americans who had previously been slaves in the Confederate States of America.