Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

A celebration of the art, music, and life of Tupac Amaru Shakur. A gathering of fans and artist inspired by... June 2018 Nashville, TN.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

The term Soul Food is often overused to represent a style of cooking mastered by blacks in the old South. Yet, Soul Food means much more than that. Soul Food is love. It's a unique kind of love that it is cooked into the food, eaten, digested, and deposited into the spirit where it creates a euphoric feeling all over your body. Big Fella is the premier purveyor of soul food. To know him is to love him. It is amazing to know how many lives he has touched through his countless meals and recipes. Only one chef in America can get the unsolicited endorsement of Big Snoop Dogg and still get his mamma's approval!

The wait is over. Big Willie drops in November.