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Whether you’re new to the holiday, have been celebrating for years, or fall somewhere in between, now is a great time to brush up on the history of Juneteenth, the commemoration of the struggle against slavery and a celebration of freedom.
Falling on the nineteenth of June each year, the annual celebration commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the Unites States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, it was not implemented in areas that were still under Confederate control. Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, the date Union Soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the war had ended. With the arrival of Union General Gordon Granger and his troops, followed by his reading of General Orders No. 3, the state’s 250,000 enslaved people were declared free.
Though Granger’s news was supposed to issue freedom, it did not come overnight. Despite the complications and continued subjugation of many, newly freed Black people celebrated this monumental shift. The following year, freedmen in Texas organized “Jubilee Day” on June 19th, and the tradition eventually spread across the nation, becoming the commemorative holiday it is today.
Early Juneteenth celebrations were often used as political rallies, providing voting instructions to newly freed African Americans. Modern celebrations often include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, and family reunions. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day into law on June 17, 2021, making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.
Slavery in America was not officially abolished until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed in 1865. Although Juneteenth celebrates the knowledge that slavery had ended, it’s important to remember the conditions that mirrored slavery, such as Jim Crow laws designed to disenfranchise Black people, the suppression of civil rights, and the continued struggle to fight racism, endured long after slavery ended.
If current events remind us of anything, it’s that when it comes to equity and justice for Black people in America, we still have a way to go. This Juneteenth, please consider some self and societal reflection and ask yourself some tough questions about what is still broken, and how you can help fix it. Recognizing Juneteenth and learning a bit about the holiday’s history is only one small step toward understanding the systemic injustices Black people still face today. The pursuit of true justice and equity continues.