Juneteenth

It's embarassing to admit, but several Texas bloggers were more on the ball than I was in noting the passing of Juneteenth this year on Saturday.

It's a uniquely Texan holiday, comemorating the arrival of Union troops on Galveston Island to announce the reality of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Two years late.

Juneteenth has a long tradition in the state, though it sort of faded out of view for a while, it is enjoying some resurgence. There hasn't been much media oxygen for it this year, however, given that the Texas Democratic Convention is in town and the Father's Day holiday. Houston's Emancipation Park was actually dedicated to the memory of the holiday, at the intersection of Elgin and Dowlings, a bit of a hike from the Main Street Rail's McGowen stop.