Iowa will have an official “Juneteenth” holiday from now on. The Governor signed a measure into law declaring the third Saturday of June “Juneteenth.” Gary Lawson of Des Moines, chair of the Iowa Juneteenth Celebration Committee, says they’ve been pushing for this for 10 years. He says it demonstrates how fair Iowa is and shows African-Americans the state is moving forward.The holiday dates back to June 19th, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas were freed. Lawson says Galveston was a huge port in the slave trade.While President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in June of 1863, Lawson says it wasn’t until two years later when the last slaves in the Confederacy were freed in Galveston. Lawson’s also on the board of a group pressing for a national “Juneteenth” holiday.
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