06/19/2026
Juneteenth exists because freedom was declared two years before it actually arrived. The Emancipation Proclamation came in 1863, but enslaved people in Texas didn’t get word, and didn’t get free, until Union soldiers showed up in 1865. That gap is why this day matters.
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On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced freedom for the enslaved people there, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. That gap between the promise of freedom and the reality of it is part of why this day matters so much.
Today we celebrate the resilience, joy, and contributions of Black Americans throughout our nation's history, and right here in Hobart and across Lake County. We honor the generations who refused to let injustice have the final word, and we recommit ourselves to the work that's still ahead, because freedom isn't a finish line. It's a promise we have to keep making good on, in our own community and beyond.
Wishing our Hobart neighbors a meaningful Juneteenth. 🖤❤️💛
