Record heat didn't slow down Juneteenth commemoration in Galveston
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More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, word finally made it to small-town coastal Texas that all enslaved people in the United States had been freed. On June 19, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger read a proclamation from a balcony at Ashton Villa on Galveston Island that ordered the release of 250,000 enslaved Black people across Texas. That day marks an important date in American history -- a day that came to be known as Juneteenth.
The daily high-temperature record, which dates back to 1875, was broken in Galveston, Texas, an island city on the Gulf of Mexico south of Houston, Sunday when the mercury topped out at 97 degrees F, breaking the old record by 2 degrees F. However, the scorching heat and an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of 106 degrees F didn't stop families and individuals from gathering in the coastal city to remember and learn about the people and pursuit of freedom that led to the day.
Members of Avenue L Baptist Church in Galveston, the first Black Baptist church in the city, came together to honor their progress after decades of struggles, including devasting storms. Since being baptized at the church in 1955, Avenue L Baptist Church member Almeda Simpson-Hendon remains a part of the church. She recalls many difficult weather-related events that the church members lived through.
"[We've] weathered a lot of storms. We've been through Alicia. We've been through Ike, we've been through Hurricane Carla, we've been through them all," Simpson-Hendon told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "And those are some devastating storms. Right here, it's still standing,"
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Avenue L Baptist Church in Galveston, Texas. |
Galveston resident and Avenue L Baptist Church member Robert Ellis noted that even though many people believe that it is a "tourist town," there is still so much rich history within the town.
"I drive past this building almost every day," Ellis told Wadell about the Avenue L Baptist Church. "I didn't know it was founded by five black slaves. It's the first Black Baptist church here, so it's amazing when you dig deep in your roots and find out exactly where you came from because that's how you can move on forward in life."
Avenue L Baptist Church was the first Black Baptist church in Galveston, founded by Black slaves 183 years ago.
"I'm so glad people are putting us in the history books now and putting it like it should be, and like it should have been a long time ago," said Simpson-Hendon. "Our ancestors, I know they would love to see this day here. This is what our ancestors worked hard for, and this is what we have to tell our kids and pass it on and pass it on."
In hopes of learning more about the challenges this nation is still facing today in the pursuit of freedom, residents of Galveston encourage families visiting for the summer to take a moment to visit historical landmarks, like the church, and learn about the past.
"We have to realize we are the next generation, and you know, in a couple of years, it will be our turn to start making a difference in the world, and we can start doing that now," Ellis told Wadell.
Juneteenth, though celebrated for decades by Black Americans, was made a national federal holiday by the Biden administration in 2021. "In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans," President Joe Biden said in a proclamation announcing the recognition of the holiday. "Juneteenth is a day of profound weight and power."
Reporting by Bil Wadell.
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