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Slavery had ended for the rest of the United States on January 1, 1863, via President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This executive order, freed over 3 1/2 million slaves which were not under Confederate control. Slaves in Texas were in Confederate territory and under their control. They did not learn of the news until June 19, 1865 (2 1/2 years later). It was on this day that Union soldiers under the direction of Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston Texas to share the great news that the war had ended and those who were currently enslaved, were now free citizens of the United States of America. Note:  On December 18, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment went into effect, making it against the law to own slaves. The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868, it gave former slaves  citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. So it is on this day, June 19 that we celebrate the ending of slavery in America. Juneteenth is a state and federal holiday.  On 17 June 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth Federal holiday.  

See Donna Vaughn speaking at the awards ceremony, 18 June 2022.