On June 19, 1865—a full two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation—Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas.
In the years that followed, Black communities, first in Texas and then across the United States, gathered to mark the day that became commonly known as Juneteenth. While knowledge of Juneteenth has evolved and grown, it has become the focus of the Juneteenth Legacy Project (JLP) to further elevate the history of June 19th as a central moment in United States history, while also supporting activist and educator Opal Lee’s campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
In 2021, the JLP is marking this day with the unveiling of a 5000-square-foot public art mural that overlooks the site where Granger issued General Order No. 3. The intent behind this installation—called Absolute Equality—is to reconsider the role of monuments and memorials in telling pivotal moments in American history, while emphasizing, as JLP co-chair and National Trust Advisor Sam Collins says in the Galveston Daily News, that “Absolute equality is not about equal results but about creating a society that supports all to become their very best selves to benefit a collective community.”
To read more visit: https://savingplaces.org/stories/absolute-equality-mural-reimagines-public-spaces-and-the-story-of-juneteenth#.YMJRr5NufFp
Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation, Priya Chhaya Reporting
