Juneteenth

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Confederate states didn’t honor the proclamation until the war had ended, and enslaved people in Florida weren't freed until May of 1865. A month later, Texas became the last state to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth National Independence Day, known simply as Juneteenth, celebrates and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Each year in June, St. Augustine organizations offer several events to commemorate Juneteenth.

Photo: An actor depicting an enslaved person at the former "I Lived Here As Well" program, held for several years in St. Augustine.