LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed bipartisan legislation declaring Juneteenth a state holiday.

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“On Juneteenth, we come together to celebrate fundamental American values of freedom and equality, embodied by the stories and legacies of the Black community,” Whitmer said. “June 19th will forever be known as Juneteenth in Michigan and I encourage every Michigander to reflect on our history and celebrate the values that we will continue fighting for together.”

On June 19th, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas, and read an order stating that all enslaved people were free and equal in personal and property rights to their former masters. Juneteenth commemorates this day as a victory for shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality, while celebrating Black history and culture.

“This is important to the descendants of slaves who received this news two years later,” state Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit), referencing Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that took place two years prior to Granger’s proclamation. “More importantly it elevates our awareness that we have a second Independence Day in American history.”