President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, granting freedom to all enslaved people in states actively engaged in rebellion.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation officially took effect on January 1, 1863, freedom did not immediately come for all enslaved people because Confederate-controlled states refused to implement it.
After the Confederacy’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia in April 1865, Lincoln’s proclamation began to take hold and was enforced by federal troops throughout the southern states.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay, Texas, were notified by Union troops that they, along with all other enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree, bringing with it the freedom granted by President Lincoln more than two and a half years earlier and this day became known as “Juneteenth”, a mash-up of “June” and “nineteenth by the newly freed people in Texas.
In 2021, President Biden signed into law the legislation declaring June 19th a federal holiday. This formally recognized the day known across the country as Juneteenth, a celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States.
To learn more about the history and culture of Juneteenth, you may access the following link to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu.
Call to Action – If you are a mental health provider of color or a college student of color who is pursuing a career as a mental health provider and would like to hear more about how you can help answer the call to improve the quality of behavioral health crisis response in the Greater Prince William Area, please contact us to find out more!
Clinical Supervision Announcement Opportunity – If you are pursuing a counseling career as an LPC, LMFT, or LCSW in Virginia and require clinical supervision hours, go to: https://forms.office.com/r/JdvwMvPfBp to complete the Clinical Supervision Application or scan the CR code below.
Mentoring & Career Coaching Announcement Opportunity – Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work Historically Black Colleges & University (HBCU) Students.
If you are interested in pursuing a counseling career as an LPC, LMFT, or LCSW in Virginia and would like to receive mentoring and career coaching, go to: https://forms.office.com/r/2MPa4Jau7b to complete the Mentoring/Career Coaching Application or scan the CR code below.
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