Lincoln's  Emancipation Proclamation and the ensuing 13th Amendment supposedly ended slavery in the U.S. in 1863. Then on June 19, 1865  (later known as Juneteenth), the Union Army announced in Galveston, Texas, that Texas Blacks were free by executive decree. However, it took until 2021 for President Joe Biden to sign papers declaring June 19 a federal holiday.  Slow go. 

Presenter: Ruth Cooper

Service Leader: Bonnie Burch