06/19/2026
Today we celebrate Juneteenth, a day that commemorates freedom, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people who never stopped pursuing liberty.
While many associate emancipation with January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all enslaved people. It applied only to states in rebellion against the Union and did not include Delaware, a Union state where slavery remained legal.
On June 19, 1865, news of freedom finally reached enslaved people in Texas, giving rise to the celebration we now know as Juneteenth. Yet even then, freedom was not fully realized everywhere. In Delaware, documented slave auctions continued during the summer of 1865, despite the nation's movement toward abolition.
True nationwide emancipation did not come until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865, which permanently abolished slavery throughout the United States, including Delaware.
Today, we remember this complex history and honor the courage, perseverance, and faith of those who endured the horrors of slavery while never losing sight of freedom. We celebrate the indescribable joy that families and communities must have felt as the promise of liberty finally became reality!
