See the Birthplace of Juneteenth in These Atmospheric Photos of Galveston, Texas

On June 19, 1865, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate states, Union troops in Galveston, Texas, announced that the enslaved people of the state were now free. There, Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which stated: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” That fateful June day has come to be known as Juneteenth, the main holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States.

When I was a little girl in Wisconsin, my aunt taught me about Juneteenth. At my local Juneteenth celebrations, which my aunt helped lead, we had games, food, music, speeches and a pageant. While I knew back then that this holiday was a celebration of Black history in the U.S., I couldn’t fully grasp the concept of what was being celebrated as a child.

Later, as a teenager, I more deeply understood that it’s a celebration of freedom: the freedom of my people, the freedom for my people. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by the holiday. And later, as an adult, I still hadn’t been to Galveston, Texas, the birthplace of Juneteenth, and where the spirit of Juneteenth still lives today. I was compelled to go there and learn more about its history and see it for myself.

I went this April and took my camera along with me. I visited the Nia Cultural Center, the headquarters of the Juneteenth Legacy Project. I explored a gallery that displays African art. I saw the mural commemorating the Juneteenth holiday. I saw historical markers for the holiday and the Middle Passage in which enslaved Africans were taken across the Atlantic Ocean. Along with all this history, I also saw a community of everyday people living in and visiting the island city on Texas’ Gulf Coast. I saw the city’s contrast between nature and industry. I captured photos of the city using expired film, giving the visuals an ephemeral feel.

On this Juneteenth, see for yourself how history and the everyday come together in Galveston through these 16 pictures.