As we approach Juneteenth and begin paying homage to prominent African Americans in dentistry, it is nearly impossible not to think of Dr. Robert Tanner Freeman, Dr. George F. Grant and Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollins.
Reflecting on our history and profession on Juneteenth
June 19, 1865. This date commemorates General Gordon Granger arriving with Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, revealing the end of the Civil War and declaring the emancipation of those who were still enslaved two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
A brief history of Juneteenth
Although we are taught that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the confederate slaves, history books often fail to mention that it took two and a half years for all enslaved African Americans to receive their freedom. Juneteenth is a day that not only commemorates the last day of slavery but also the beginning of reconstruction in the United States.
Juneteenth: A celebration of freedom
It was June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger, a Union general during the American Civil War, issued General Orders No. 3, informing Texans that “in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, ‘all slaves are free.’” This moment came about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, and became known as the holiday Juneteenth.