June 19 is recognized annually as Juneteenth, and the New Braunfels City Council showed their support with a proclamation on May 26.

Juneteenth marks the day Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston with news that the Civil War was over and slaves were free, the proclamation states.

The holiday is thought of as the nation's second independence day, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).