Texas Cities Mark Juneteenth With Family Events
DALLAS (AP) - Communities across Texas have celebrated Juneteenth with flags, food and historic remembrances of when Texas slaves more than 150 years ago learned they were free.
On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston to declare Texas slaves free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Organizers say more than 200 people attended a prayer breakfast Monday in Galveston at the Ashton Villa, site of the city's Juneteenth monument.
A family festival was planned Monday in Dallas at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.
Juneteenth parades were held Saturday in a number of cities, including Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, San Angelo and San Antonio. A health and wellness fair was held at the Abilene Convention Center. A Juneteenth Family Festival in Corpus Christi included public readings.
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