Galveston Juneteenth service at Reedy Chapel; Joe Biden attends

Joe Biden speaks at Galveston Juneteenth event

Former President Joe Biden spoke at a Juneteenth event in Galveston, celebrating the day 160 years ago when slaves were told they were free.

GALVESTON, Texas - It’s been 160 years since enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free on June 19, 1865 – a day now commemorated annually as Juneteenth.

This year, Former President Joe Biden will be in Galveston to take part in the celebration at Reedy Chapel AME Church.

FOX 26 will livestream the event.

Former President Biden in Galveston

Timeline:

Biden will attend the service inside Reedy Chapel that begins around 6:15 p.m.

Prior to the event, Reedy Chapel will be hosting a full day of events.

• Family fun: Noon - 5:45 p.m.
• Emancipation March from Galveston County Courthouse to Reedy Chapel: 6 p.m.
• Emancipation Service at Reedy Chapel: 6:15 p.m.

What they're saying:

"So we are excited, and I think excitement is maybe an understatement, and I hope that it becomes a defining moment for Galveston and the nation," said Sharon Baptiste Gillins, member and trustee of Reedy Chapel AME Church. "Reedy Chapel has a tremendous history in that it was the first celebration of the emancipation that happened in Galveston. So it was going to be special for us."

Dig deeper:

In 2021, when Biden was president, he signed legislation establishing Juneteenth, or June19, as a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

What is Juneteenth?

The backstory:

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.