I always thought that slavery ended after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation until a transplanted Texan first told me about Juneteenth, the celebration commemorating the day that news of freedom finally reached the slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The celebration started in Galveston, Texas but has now become a sort of African American Fourth of July celebration, spreading to communities across the country.

The Ann Arbor Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be celebrating Juneteenth this Saturday, June 19, at Wheeler Park from noon to 6 p.m. with music, poetry, storytelling, games, children’s activities, vendors and food.

Click here to see President Obama's Statement on Juneteenth.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a second-generation Chinese American from California who now divides her time between Ann Arbor and the Big Island of Hawaii. She is editor of IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, lead multicultural contributor for AnnArbor.com, and a contributor for New America Media's Ethnoblog. She is a popular speaker on Asian Pacific American and multicultural issues. Check out her Web site at franceskaihwawang.com, her blog at franceskaihwawang.blogspot.com, and she can be reached at fkwang888@gmail.com.