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Listen to Black Austinites' reflections on the holiday marking the end of slavery in Texas

A young man stands in the sunroof of a car — seen from the front — with his fist in the air, as crowds sit and stand on the sides of the street.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
A child sticks up from the sunroof of a car and gestures to onlookers during the Juneteenth parade in East Austin last year.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when a Union general landed in Galveston to demand Black people enslaved in the state be freed — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas for decades and last year it became a federal holiday.

Juneteenth is a day of celebration — but also a time for reflection. Over the past few weeks, we spoke to a dozen Black Austinites about the history of Juneteenth, their hopes for the future of the holiday and whether they consider themselves really free.

Listen to our hourlong special, Juneteenth: Are We Really Free? on KUT 90.5 on Thursday at 8 p.m., Saturday at noon or Sunday at 5 p.m.

You can also hear the whole show by clicking on the player above.

Miles Bloxson is a producer and host for KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9.
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