Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865--
two and one-half years
after the Emancipation Proclamation
was signed--
slavery officially ended in the United States,
when General Gordon Granger
read General Orders No. 3:
on Texas soil.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”1

Raise your voices in praise and gratitude,
give thanks
for God's will was done
with slavery's end.

Slavery had ended,
while battle for justice and equality
had just begun.

Poet's Note: ▼

Line Count: 16
Word count: 89
Form: Free verse
Prompt: Juneteenth
Written for "SENIOR CENTER FORUM" 

Footnotes
1  https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth