Film of a Juneteenth Parade from 1925

1925

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger declared freedom for African Americans in Texas. Granger issued Order No. 3 enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation two years after it went into effect. The order essentially dictated that Black people know their place, stating, “The Freedmen are advised to stay at their present homes” (slave cabins) and “work for wages” as sharecroppers. Despite the limiting language of the order, freedom was still a cause for celebration. This 1925 film captures a Juneteenth celebration in Beaumont, Texas. Black people are seen waving flags, claiming their place in society.