On June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, with 2,000 federal troops to enforce the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation President Lincoln had signed on January 1, 1863. That Proclamation finally gave freedom to the slaves, but states such as Texas refused to comply until the Union Army came into the state to deliver the news of freedom. Now a federal holiday, Juneteenth has been celebrated in parts of the country as another Fourth of July, when blacks were freed from slavery. May we all continue to resist such evil and work toward a vision of love and liberation for all people.
A Collect for Juneteenth
Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image. Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and make no peace with oppression. Help us, like those generations before us, resist the evil of slavery and human bondage in any form and any manner of oppression. Help us to use our freedoms to bring justice among people and nations everywhere, to the glory of your Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.