Galveston unveils sign marking 'Birthplace of Juneteenth'

Courtney McWilliams, 7, is all smiles while waiting with his daycare class to take a picture with the newly unveiled sign commemorating Juneteenth at Galveston City Hall on Friday.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News

The Daily News
By JOSÉ MENDIOLA The Daily News
June 16, 2023

GALVESTON - In preparation for the 158th Juneteenth celebration, politicians, activists, city workers and students gathered behind City Hall on a sunny Friday morning for the unveiling of a sign that will welcome millions of visitors annually to the birthplace of the day marking the end of human bondage in the United States.

“It’s an exciting event for Galveston; we’re the birthplace of Juneteenth,” Mayor Craig Brown said. “It’s exciting for us to dedicate this signage that will be in the entrance of the island. It not only stands for the freedom of the slaves but stands for freedom for all Americans, no matter what your situation is in the United States.”

The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and read General Order No. 3, informing Texas of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people in the Confederate states.

President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021, signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, after overwhelming support pushed the bill through the U.S. Congress. People from around the country traveled to the island to celebrate Juneteenth in 2021 as a national holiday for the first time.

Brown and Councilwoman Sharon Lewis have been pushing for the sign for a year, Brown said. The two have been working with the Texas Department of Transportation and city staff.

“It was my idea that we needed to designate Juneteenth and formally notify all those who come to the island that we’re the birthplace,” Brown said. “The sign work is great. It was done by our public works department, and they did a fabulous job.”

The city will also start pushing forward for a national Juneteenth museum, Brown said.

“We need to put our attention to help facilitate the dialogue in our community to bring everyone together to establish and develop a national Juneteenth museum,” Brown said.

Brown will be working with Lewis to ensure the museum comes to fruition, he said.

“The celebration and commemoration of Juneteenth means a lot to me and my family,” Lewis said. “We’re excited to have the recognition from the city to establish Galveston as the birthplace of Juneteenth.”

A group of children from a daycare center were sitting on the grass to witness unveiling of the Juneteenth sign.

Gail Jackson, a director with Aww Better Child Care Center, 312 Volney Street in La Marque, said it was important for the children to learn the history of Juneteenth and Black history.

“It’s important for us to see this,” said Cameron Mayes, a 7-year-old in the group. “We got to learn something here, and it was interesting. I really like how the sign was made.”

It’s important for children and the people of Galveston to learn the history of Juneteenth, state Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson said.

“It means a lot to our community and country,” she said. “This was the birthplace of the end of slavery.

“We’re very grateful for the people that sacrificed their lives for Juneteenth. We need to remember them during the celebration.”

For Sam Collins III, president of the Juneteenth Legacy Project and local historian, the signs prove to be a message that Galveston is proceeding in the right direction.

“Galveston finally putting something up to cement itself as the birthplace of Juneteenth is great,” Collins said. “I’m glad that the signs are going up. Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth, and the world should know that.”

The signs will be erected near the Galveston Causeway, the San Luis Pass Bridge and at the Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry landing, Brown said.