19 June 08 (Juneteenth)

Today is a remarkable day for "civil rights." Juneteenth (from June nineteenth) is celebrated in 26 states to remember the day in 1865 when Union troops entered Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. This event marks the official ending of slavery throughout the United States. Ninety-nine years later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, guaranteeing the right to vote for all citizens, regardless of race.