RALEIGH, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed June 19 as Juneteenth Day in North Carolina, honoring the oldest known commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the United States.
“As we celebrate Black heritage, history and freedom, it’s critical that we also take this opportunity to both celebrate the progress we’ve made and accept the challenge we still face to achieve true racial equality,” Gov. Cooper said. “By addressing the systemic racism that has been in our communities for centuries, we can create a more just and equitable future.”
Though it's making headlines now, the celebration, which marks the true end of slavery in the United States, is not new. On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves of the Confederate states.
But word didn't travel as fast in the 1860s as it does in today's society.
It took two-and-a-half years for Lincoln's proclamation to reach Texas and its quarter of a million slaves. Historians claim many slave owners intentionally withheld the news in order to keep labor intact.
But that changed when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865. On June 19, 1865, the slaves were freed.
In June 2020, Gov. Cooper established the Andrea Harris Social Economic Environmental Health Disparities Task Force to address the longstanding, systemic disparities in communities of color. He also created the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice to acknowledge and eliminate systemic racial bias in criminal justice.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.