The Origins of the Word Juneteenth
Reading the Emancipation Proclamation , H.W. Herrick, del., J.W. Watts, South Carolina.
On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, General Gordon Granger declared all slaves free 2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. “Juneteenth” (a mixture of June and nineteen) began thereafter in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma with parades and festivals. Food has been a staple of Juneteenth from the first celebrations and as a summer event barbecue with red sauce became a staple along with some mysterious reason red food and drink like strawberry drinks and red velvet cake.