On June 19, 1866, the first Juneteenth commemoration was held at Emancipation Park, on land in Houston that had been purchased by newly free African Americans, but freedom did not convey equality.
![A photograph of four well-dressed Black men and two Black women posed in a park, with horses and carriages in the background.](https://i0.wp.com/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PICA-05476_AustinHC_feature.jpg?resize=600%2C280&ssl=1)
Juneteenth: History and Healing
On June 19, 1866, the first Juneteenth commemoration was held at Emancipation Park, on land in Houston that had been purchased by newly free African Americans, but freedom did not convey equality.