Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference joins the nation and the world in the celebration of Juneteenth.
We joyfully remember the day when word of the total emancipation of slaves -- first proclaimed three years earlier in Abraham Lincoln's epic Executive Order -- finally reached the most remote areas of the State of Texas. A Civil War, which had threatened to tear apart the country, was won by the Union Army just two months earlier. One of that army's generals, George Granger, read the federal orders in Galveston on June 19, 1865.
Forty-seven states now recognize Juneteenth as either a ceremonial observance or a state holiday. The State of Iowa's recognition came in 2002, while the State of Nebraska's began in 2009.
While we commemorate this day some 155 years ago, consider this charge. The coach and athlete always strive to be better; to work harder; to think of the team first. There is so much more to do. Be better. Work harder. Draw together.
Our institutions, inspired by recent events, have expressed thoughts that are poignantly relevant on this Juneteenth. Here's a sampling:
https://twitter.com/CoeCollege/status/1273332828361625607?s=20
https://twitter.com/CoeCollege/status/1273332828361625607?s=20
