Juneteenth (June 19) gained federal holiday recognition in 2021, but has been celebrated in parts of the United States since 1866, when those enslaved in Galveston, Texas, received word of the end of the Civil War and emancipation over two years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Reedy Chapel was the first place the formerly enslaved celebrated after learning of their freedom. The first Pittsburgh remembrance of Juneteenth was organized in the late nineteenth century by Presbyterian Pastor Henry Highland Garnett, the first Pastor of Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church, once again linking freedom with faith.
ELPC members can join in this year’s observance by:
- Marching behind the ELPC banner in the annual Juneteenth parade on Saturday, June 15. For more information, email Michele Bossers or Lenore Williams.
- Cheering marchers on from anywhere along the parade route beginning at Freedom Corner and ending at the Point.
- Sharing the history of Juneteenth with family and friends.
- Living out our commitment to being a Matthew 25 congregation.