Celebrating Juneteenth - CAL Insurance Closed in Observance

Hello Clients & Friends,

CAL Insurance & Associates is closed on honor of Juneteenth June 19th, and returning on June 20th during regular business hours.

 

Author: Smithsonian, National Museum of African History and Culture

Source Information here.

 

The First Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. With the principles of self-determination, citizenship, and democracy magnifying their hopes and dreams, those Texans held fast to the promise of true liberty for all.

A Freedom Deferred

With the end of slavery, searching for family members who had been separated or sold away became the focus of many formerly enslaved individuals. The number of years of separation did not deter people from hoping to reunite with lost loved ones. Newspaper advertisements, letters and word of mouth were all employed as part of the search. The hope was that a positive response might lead to a reunion with family members.    

Emancipation and Educating the Newly Freed

For the nearly four million newly freed, education was a crucial first step to becoming self-sufficient. Between 1861 and 1900, more than 90 institutions of higher education were founded for African Americans. 
 
After the Civil War, African Americans worked tirelessly to reconnect with family and loved ones separated under slavery. The Freedmen's Bureau was a useful tool, aiding in the work that Black communities were already doing to reunite families.
 

Juneteenth Today

In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people. Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling. Today, Juneteenth celebrates African American resilience and achievement while aiding in the preservation of those historical narratives that promoted racial and personal advancement since Freedom Day. 

Please find more information in the link listed above.

 

 
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