Style Weekly
Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion
Juneteenth in Richmond
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When Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan. 1, 1863, it had little immediate consequence for slaves still living under Confederate rule. Besides the information taking forever to travel (this was long before Twitter), Union forces were hardly able to enforce such a society-changing decree, and so it wasn't until June 19, 1865, when Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state, that most of the remaining slaves in United States were lawfully set free. Thirty-one states recognize the day as a holiday, and the Elegba Folklore Society and the Richmond Slave Trail Commission adds Richmond to the celebration of Juneteenth on Saturday, June 20, with food and entertainment from 3 p.m. to midnight at the Manchester Dock. Call 644-3900 or visit www.efsinc.org. — Mike Hilleary
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