June 19, 1865 - Galveston, Texas, a general in the Union army announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free. Over time the date has grown from a local to a national holiday, a marker of freedom, of family, and of joy and continued struggle that emerged from this cauldron of the war.

Don's guest today is Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of African & African American Studies at Duke University and host of Left of Black.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

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