The momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement brought the Juneteenth into the spotlight, based on decades of pressure from activists and leaders to gain recognition for the landmark occasion. Last year, the Eleventh became the last federal holiday in the United States – the first approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. As the Eleventh is now a national holiday, many public and private employees enjoy an extra day off while brands and corporations take advantage of the event with festive marketing campaigns. But there is much more to the Juneteenth than a long weekend and branded products.
As black Americans continue to face the same challenges and inequalities that inspired so many to take to the streets in 2020, it is worth thinking about the story behind the holiday.
Juneteenth – also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day and Emancipation Day – marks the end of slavery in the United States.
Combining the words June and 19, he celebrated June 19, 1865: the day Major General of the Union Army Gordon Granger rode to Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3 declaring that enslaved African Americans were there. free.
“The people of Texas have been informed that, according to a statement from the United States Executive, all slaves are free,” the order said. “This includes absolute equality of personal and property rights between former masters and slaves, and the link that has existed so far between them becomes that between the employer and the employee.”
Freedom for the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which could not be implemented in Confederate-controlled areas. That’s about two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army in Apomatox, Virginia, an event commonly considered the end of the Civil War.
How to celebrate
What began as an informal celebration of freedom by locals in Galveston eventually grew into a broader commemoration of the end of slavery when African Americans in Texas moved to other parts of the country. Today, many African Americans celebrate Juneteenth with parties, parades, and gatherings with family and friends.
Texas became the first state to make the Juneteenth public holiday in 1980. In addition to being a federal holiday, all 50 states and Washington, D.C., recognize the Juneteenth in some form.
As the Juneteenth made its way to the mainstream, some activists and leaders cited systemic inequalities that black Americans continue to face, such as racial differences in wealth, disproportionate closure, and long-standing health disparities. A coalition of civil and human rights groups, in particular, recognized the holiday by hoisting a pan-African flag in front of the White House and calling for a commission to investigate reparations.
As many of those calling for widespread change have suggested, watching the Juneteenth may be an opportunity to reflect on how far the nation has come – and how much more.
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