National Security: Juneteenth

In the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent social unrest, there is considerable momentum to name Juneteenth as a national holiday celebrating the end of slavery. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African-Americans were liberated in Galveston, Texas. While Juneteenth is celebrated in many parts of the country, the Florida celebration to mark the end of slavery is on May 20 (1865), when the Emancipation Proclamation was read from the capitol steps in Tallahassee by the Union military