Grand Canyon National Park will hold a Juneteenth celebration at the South Rim this coming Monday. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger read his general orders to the people of Texas, recognizing and enforcing the end of slavery.
Monday’s event will include a Ranger Talk at Verkamp’s Visitor Center exploring the history and meaning of Juneteenth, and a ranger-led Freedom Walk from the Historic Village to Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The walk will symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865. Margaret Hangan, Project Archaeologist for the Tonto National Forest, will lead an afternoon program about African American history and migration in northern Arizona.
Juneteenth is considered the "longest-running African-American holiday.". It's often referred to as "America's second Independence Day".