> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Juneteenth a time to honor freedom
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/juneteenth-a-time-to-honor-freedom/
- Published: 2007-06-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T00:15:39.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Hamp Simmons The Art Palette*

On this brilliant spring weekend, we should all take a moment and reflect on how important freedom is to each of us — we often forget that these liberties were hard-won. Most folks think that once the Civil War ended, so did slavery. Officially, the odious practice ended with the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but in truth it took a while for that news to spread. In a world prior to cable television or any other form of mass communication, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865 that word finally reached Galveston, Texas with the arrival of federal troops.

Since then, the date has been adopted as a holiday, Juneteenth. This weekend, two of our community cultural agencies will commemorate this special day in distinct ways. You should definitely plan to visit one of them for experiences that will prove educational, enlightening and highly entertaining.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 14, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061407.pdf?ref=smdp.com)