Dear Friends,

Juneteenth USA was established in 1979. Juneteenth USA activities focus primarily on education and the dissemination of helpful information to society about Texans history with specific emphasizes on the importance and meaning of Emancipation ( June 19, 1865 ). The objective is to serve the public in an educational capacity by promoting Texas history and culture. The organization brings about awareness to Texans of the importance of knowing their history and how it impacts their daily lives and what effect it will have on their future. Juneteenth USA goals include volunteering in schools and local senior community centers. Presentations are given to enlighten the audience on culture, history, and the value in being an active, productive, positive influence in the community. The organization feeds the hungry along with the disabled and shut-ins. In addition, Juneteenth USA assists in vital community clean up and many other valuable activities that are beneficial in maintaining a stable society.

JUNETEENTH USA is a nonprofit organization. We assist in community development and projects to get the more mature population active and involved in the neighborhood. We pride ourselves in helping to improve society. Additionally, we are strong advocates and supporters of youth education enhancement programs.

We are requesting a donation for the continuous of these valuable programs and projects. You may visit the website at texasjuneteenthusa.com. We appreciate your loyal commitment and dedication. Thank you in advance for your assistance, financial support, interest, and time.

Sincerely,
Honorable Al Edwards

The History

The history of African Americans began with their being bound and abducted from their homes and family. Stripped of their belongings and rudimentary human rights, they were taken onto a ship against their will, never to see their homeland again. The black man was no longer a person, but a slave.

If they survived the trip across the Atlantic, they were inspected, assessed, and auctioned off like a piece of property. Their "owners" treated them as harshly as they deemed fit. Many were whipped, starved, and beaten into submission so their possessors could assure a dutiful servant. The law protected their abuse as a right of ownership.

Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1861 - 1865), was truly a man who believed in democracy. He was a man filled with great merit. Number one on the list was INSIGHT. Secondly, was his CONVICTION. Third, and greatest of all, was his IRON WILL.

Five days after the battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation. The final proclamation was issued stating "That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free..."

To Lincoln's disappointment, the proclamation freed only a few slaves. The loyal Border States were not affected. Still, Lincoln continued to plea with those states to free their slaves and pushed through the House and Senate, a Constitutional Amendment to guarantee the freedom of ALL slaves.

Although General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army on April 9, 1865, the Trans - Mississippi Department States, under the leadership of Texas generals and officials had already set into motion schemes for prolonging the war in the Southwest.

Thirty months after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger, who had been placed in command of the Federal occupation troops, arrived at Galveston Bay on June 19, 1865. He issued GENERAL ORDER NO. 3 -EMANCIPATION. This was the birth of Juneteenth in Texas.

The 13th Amendment, adopted in December 1865, ended slavery in all parts of the United States, stating "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Al Edwards

State Representative Al Edwards, elected in 1979 and presently serving, is a man who holds very high regard for his fellow man. He has won the admiration and respect of many because of his broad outlook on human growth, expansion, and awareness.

By the time Edwards reached his young adulthood, he was sure that God had blessed him with a very special gift - the gift of LEADERSHIP. Long before he considered being an elected official, he found himself facing the firing squad on behalf of many forms of injustice, including the civil rights movement with Dr. King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. As far as Edwards was concerned, community volunteer work and any other volunteer service he administered was simply a part of his busy lifestyle.

In the summer of 1979, Edwards' first year as a legislator, he was faced with a very special problem that had been presented and denied by others before him...MAKING JUNETEENTH AN OFFICIAL STATE HOLIDAY.

The minute he presented the legislation, House Bill 1016, to the House of Representatives, Edwards realized that he was up against a giant brick wall. Everywhere he turned, he was being told NO to his proposal. Still he would not give up his dream. Edwards wrote the bill using 5 various versions, hoping to capture the approval of the house.

After months of struggle, the hand of God on Representative Al Edwards won out. On June 1, 1980, 115 years after Texas slaves were freed, Juneteenth was declared an official State holiday in Texas!

Al Edwards' Juneteenth U.S.A.