What does the Juneteenth Flag mean?
A year later freed people in Texas celebrated Jubilee Day on June 19th. The celebrations spread to other states as African Americans moved from Texas to other parts of the country. Even then, enslaved people in Texas were not immediately freed. Some slave owners withheld the news until after harvest season had ended. On June 19, 1865  two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appommatix Court House -- Union Army Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told African Americans that the institution of slavery was dead. The 250,000 enslaved people in Texas had actually been freed two and a half years earlier, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but the news had not yet reached the Lone Star State. Advertisement  Over time, June 19th became known as Juneteenth. It was first recognized as an official holiday in Texas in 1979, and is considered the longest-running African American holiday in the country. In 1997, activist Ben Haith, also known as Boston Ben and the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, created the Juneteenth flag with help from a slew of contributors. Illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf helped refine the design, and in 2000, the flag was first hoisted at the Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston by Haith. Seven years later, Juneteenths official date was added to the flag. The flag will be raised in Boston again on Wednesday, June 16. According to The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, the Juneteenth flag has several important symbols, each representing an important aspect of the holiday. The Star  The white star represents Texas, the Lone Star State, where Granger read General Orders No. 3 out loud: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. The star also represents the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states today. Advertisement  The Burst  The burst around the star is inspired by a nova, which is an astronomical event that causes the appearance of a bright, new star. On the Juneteenth flag, it represents a new beginning for the African Americans of Galveston, Texas, and throughout the country. The Arc  The arc represents a new horizon. It promises new opportunities for Black Americans. The Colors  The Juneteenth flag is red, white, and blue, echoing the colors of the American flag, to symbolize that all former slaves and their descendants became American citizens under the law. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz.