The theme of our Juneteenth celebrations has always been that #BlackHistoryMatters. As in past celebrations, the program for our 2025 Juneteenth Jubilee will feature live entertainment including historical performances. One of those performances will be a reading of General Order No. 3.
Juneteenth celebrates the issuing of General Order No. 3. This field order informed the people of Texas that "in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."
Last year, the reading was by Vernon Higgins and Michelle Massey, who also recited the names of Camden County men who enlisted in the US Army or Navy in the Civil War. These veterans are mentioned in a chapter on “Military service” in the inaugural issue of our Camden Georgia Black History series that was on sale at the 2024 Jubilee, and Issue 2 will list the several more we have found since Issue 1 went to press.
See below for the full program for our 2024 Juneteenth.
