by: Dr. Ronald V. Meyers, Sr., M.D. National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign

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Galveston, Texas) - The 2011 GALVESTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance will take place in the community where the Juneteenth Celebration began, in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday, June 18th, at the Rosenberg Library. National Juneteenth Jazz Artist, the Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF), will be the keynote speaker and will perform on trumpet.

Myers is urging congress to enact legislation to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance. In 1997, Juneteenth Independence Day was first officially recognized as America's 2nd Independence Day by the U.S. Congress through the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 11, sponsored by then Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), and U.S. House Joint Resolution 56, sponsored by Congressman J. C. Watt (D-OK). Similar legislation has been passed by congress annually since 2006.

"Now is the time for the U.S. Congress to pass legislation for signature by President Barack Obama to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance, like Flag Day or Patriot Day," states Rev. Dr. Myers, also the Founder & Chairman of the National Association of Junetenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP). "At this time, thirty-nine states, most recently Nevada, along with the District of Columbia, recognize Juneteenth as state holiday or state holiday observance."

Juneteenth commemorates the day when Americans of African descent suffering from the tyranny of enslavement, in the last geographic area where slavery legally existed, learned of their freedom. This took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger read General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves are free" by Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, to take effect on January 1, 1863. It took over two and a half years for the news of freedom to travel to southwest Texas.

Thousands of petitions have been forwarded to the White House urging President Obama to make Juneteenth a National Day of Observance and to establish a Presidential National Juneteenth Commission to provide advice to the president on how the annual observance of Juneteenth Independence Day can bring all Americans together with the goal of promoting greater understanding and racial healing. A similar petition drive was successful in getting the USPS to consider a "Juneteenth Flags of Freedom" postage stamp.

"The official recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day and the end of enslavement by state governments and the U.S. Congress are very significant steps in bringing healing to America from the legacy of enslavement," states Rev. Dr. Myers, also Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC), the National Day Reconciliation & Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement and the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance. "The National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement takes place every year on the '3rd Friday in June' and includes the National Juneteenth Black Holocaust 'Maafa' Memorial Service. The theme of the service is 'A Time to Heal, A Time to Pray.'"

We now observe the annual World Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement on the "3rd Saturday In August", August 20, 2011, in Richmond, VA. This commemorates the date the first slave ship, the White Lion, landed in Virginia at Old Point Comfort, today's Fort Monroe, from the shores of West Africa. This occurred on the "latter end of August, 1619", with the arrival of twenty Angolans, America's first Middle Passage.

The 2011 GALVESTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance begins at 7:30am, on Saturday, June 18th, with a National Juneteenth Prayer Service followed by a National Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony at 8:00am at the Rosenberg Library, located on 2310 Sealy Avenue, in Galveston, Texas. For directions call the library at 409-763-8864.

For information on the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, the National Day of Reconciliation & Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement, the WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance and the National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP), contact Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. at 662-247-3364 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or web site: www.NationalJuneteenth.com.