From “The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of official records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” 1896. Image via the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Happy Juneteenth, everyone!

It’s so awesome to see people celebrating this year, one year after it became an official U.S. holiday.

Houston has a deep connection to the holiday because it was first observed here in our city not long after the earliest celebrations in Galveston.

For anyone who wants to learn more about the holiday, I highly recommend Annette Gordon-Reed’s wonderful book, On Juneteenth, a memoir of her growing up in Texas (not far from where we live), published last year.

Happy Juneteenth! Enjoy the holiday!