Opal Lee is called the grandmother of Juneteenth. She began walking state to state in 2016 to draw the attention of lawmakers, to have the date declared a federal holiday. Congress passed legislation declaring it so. President Biden signed the bill into law on June 17, 2021. Read more at Mental Floss.

Make plans to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day at LLCC on June 19, 2024, with the second annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. Each day before the celebration, the LLCC Juneteenth Committee will share a fact about this historic day.

In 1980, Texas becames the first state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday. Read more at Mental Floss.

Make plans to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day at LLCC on June 19, 2024, with the second annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. Each day before the celebration, the LLCC Juneteenth Committee will share a fact about this historic day.

Order your Juneteenth T-shirts from Kim Wilson, recruitment specialist, by the end of today, Thursday, June 13. Tshirts are $20 each. For more information or questions about the t-shirt order, email Kim Wilson or call 217-786-2810.

Juneteenth celebrations waned during the era of Jim Crow laws. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. planned the Poor People’s March in Washington D.C. to coincide with the date. The march brought Juneteenth back to the forefront and the holiday was reborn. Read more at Mental Floss.

Make plans to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day at LLCC on June 19, 2024, with the second annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. Each day before the celebration, the LLCC Juneteenth Committee will share a fact about this historic day.

Order your Juneteenth t-shirts from Kim Wilson, recruitment specialist, by end of day, Thursday, June 13. Tshirts are $20 each. For more information or questions about the t-shirt order, email or call Kim Wilson at 217-786-2810.

A year after the June 19 announcement, freepeople who wanted to celebrate the first anniversary faced expanding segregation laws. They were not permitted to use public places or parks. They pooled $800 to purchase 10 acres of land they called Emancipation Park. Until the 1950s, Emancipation Park was the only Houston-area public park and swimming pool open to African Americans. Read more at Mental Floss.

Make plans to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day at LLCC on June 19, 2024, with the second annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. Each day before the celebration, the LLCC Juneteenth Committee will share a fact about this historic day.

Order your Juneteenth t-shirts from Kim Wilson, recruitment specialist, by end of day, Thursday, June 13. Tshirts are $20 each. For more information or questions about the t-shirt order, email or call Kim Wilson at 217-786-2810.

Juneteenth fact: Freed-people faced problems from former owners in Texas. Many were beaten, lynched or murdered as they tried to leave. Read more at Mental Floss.

Make plans to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day at LLCC on June 19, 2024, with the second annual Freedom Walk at 8:30 a.m. Each day before the celebration, the LLCC Juneteenth Committee will share a fact about this historic day.