‘We are Black history’: Galveston attracts thousands for Juneteenth, attend first place of...

Many Juneteenth celebrations have taken place across the country, and Galveston is the hub. It was on the island where Union General Gordon Granger arrived to read Order No. 3, freeing 250,000 people in Texas from slavery. Many of those men and women gathered at Reedy Chapel to worship and celebrate their freedom.

"I imagine it as very electrifying. I imagine it was jubilant. I imagine the people were in such joy and anticipation of what the future would hold for them," said Lernette Patterson, the senior pastor at Reedy Chapel.

Reedy Chapel has been hosting visitors for the past week interested in learning about the history of Juneteenth and the church's unique role in its origins.

"It has been wonderful. It has been busy. It has been a lot of preparation for Juneteenth," said Patterson. "Many of you might not know but Reedy is the first documented celebration of Juneteenth on the island of Galveston."

Among the visitors who arrived in Galveston to celebrate were members of the Gray family. They traveled from across the country for their first family reunion in 30 years.

"We picked Galveston because it's more like a destination and it is significant with Juneteenth," said Ken Johnson, one of the dozens of people wearing a Gray Family Reunion shirt. The shirt has a picture of the family patriarch and matriarch on the center.