Juneteenth, a combination of "June" and "nineteenth," has been a day of celebration in Texas for more than 150 years. The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of the federal order ending slavery in the United States reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas—more than two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in January 1863. The observance of Juneteenth is about the journey and achievement of African Americans – from a horrific period of sanctioned enslavement to the pinnacle of human endeavors. We, as a collective community, from all walks of life, are a part of this victory. We celebrate freedom.