Wednesday marked the 154th Anniversary of Juneteenth in America. Juneteenth refers to the date slavery was abolished in the southern states.

U.S. Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford acknowledged the anniversary on the Senate Floor this week.

On the Floor, Sen. Lankford said, "The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln January 1st, 1863. But it took two years for that information about the emancipation of the slaves to actually reach multiple areas of the south. The date that was officially recognized was June the 19th. That's the date we recognize each year as June the 19th, as Emancipation Day."

The word didn't reach the State of Oklahoma until June 14th, 1866. In other words, communication barriers of the time prevented Oklahoma from knowing that slavery had been abolished. The State was in the dark for about a year.

Sen. Lankford said it is important for the nation to remember Juneteenth.