Juneteenth—Freedom Celebration
Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, is observed in Hayward with a downtown event, flag raisings, and exhibits and programs at Hayward Public Library throughout the month of June.
Watch footage from past Juneteenth Celebrations on our YouTube Channel above
Celebrated each year on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is an observance of the effective end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army Major Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both the Civil War and slavery to more than 250,000 enslaved Black people, one of the last group of slaves to be freed in the United States. While Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021, it has been celebrated in African American communities for over 150 years.
