Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Upon his arrival, Granger informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and the ending of the Civil War. The momentous occasion has since been celebrated as Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19 (Nelson and Vaunda 4). On Freedom Eve, the eve of January 1, 1863, the first watch night services occurred that night; free black Americans and enslaved assembled in private homes and churches throughout the country, awaiting news that the emancipation proclamation had taken effect (Cooper 2). When the midnight strokes, all the prayers were answered because all enslaved persons in Confederate states were legally declared free. Union soldiers, most of whom were black, marched onto plantations and in entire cities in the south. They read small copies of the emancipation proclamation as they spread the news of freedom in Confederate states.
Throughout the United States, only through the thirteenth amendment did emancipation end slavery. However, not everyone in Confederate territory became free immediately. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it was not implemented in places still under the confederate’s control (Rozemberg). In the westernmost confederate states of Texas, imprisoned persons were not set free until much later. Their freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union soldiers arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The troops announced that over 250,000 imprisoned African Americans in the state had been set free by an executive decree (Nelson and Vaunda 5). As a result, this day became known as Juneteenth by the free black people in Texas.
An era of great hope began in 1865 to 1877 in what was known as the post-emancipation period. The period was full of uncertainty and struggle for the country. The freed enslaved persons immediately began seeking how to reunite with their families, develop schools, contest political positions, push for radical laws and litigate slaveholders for compensation. Following the long period of enslavement in the states, these changes were nothing short of amazing (Cooper 4). A generation out of slavery consisting of black people had not been empowered and inspired to transform their country and lives. To African Americans, Juneteenth marked the second Independence Day of the country. Despite being long renowned in the black American community, this colossal event remains widely unfamiliar to most Americans. Juneteenth’s historical legacy showed the value of never giving up hope in indefinite times (Taylor). To date, the national museum of African American History and Culture is a community space where this spirit of hope lives on. It is where the historical events of Juneteenth are shared, and new stories with similar urgency are told.
African Americans have celebrated Juneteenth since the late 1800s. Last year, President Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday after the interest in the day got renewed in 2020 summer. It was also a result of the countrywide protest that followed the police killings of black Americans, including Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Across the U.S., there has been a noticeable increase in celebrations of Juneteenth over the past few years (NMAAHC). Following the killings of 10 black persons at a supermarket in Buffalo by a white gunman, it became one of the deadliest racist massacres in modern U.S. history, making Juneteenth celebrations resonate in new ways.
How Juneteenth is Celebrated
Early celebrations of the event entailed family gatherings and prayers, and later it involved annual pilgrimages to Galveston by earlier enslaved persons and their families. Following the freedom of slavery, in 1872, a group of African American businessmen and ministers in Houston bought ten acres of land. It developed an emancipation park whose prime purpose was to hold the annual Juneteenth celebration of the city. In modern society, the celebration is done among families in backyards where food is essential (Rozemberg). Similarly, larger events in cities like Washington and Atlanta are held, including festivals with residents, parades, and local businesses, to commemorate the event of Juneteenth. In 2021 and 2020, the coronavirus pandemic largely subdued the celebration, and some cities have resumed plans for the coming years.
Galveston has remained a busy site for Juneteenth over the past years, owing to the help of a coordinator. 5,000 square foot mural was dedicated in 2021 to the Juneteenth event, and in 2022, Galveston celebrated the holiday with a banquet, picnic, parade, and poetry festival (NMAAHC). The planners in Atlanta held a music festival and parade at Centennial Olympic Park, while other similar events are scheduled to happen in Okla., Tulsa, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Baltimore.
Some foundations, such as San Antonio, support individuals who are seeking to learn about the new federal holiday and provide many cultural contributions of African Americans in the city. The museum has a batch of educational activities that target raising awareness regarding Juneteenth and its in-depth meaning to the local black community (Petty). The community programs that have been developed across the cities of the U.S. help preserve the cultural heritage of African Americans and create awareness of how important it is to them. Black people have had a long history of slavery and segregation, and their continuous fight for freedom in modern days is spearheaded with consideration of their historical legacy, such as Juneteenth.
The Path of Juneteenth to a National Holiday
Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday in 1980. All 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize the day in some form. In 2020, in the wake of the countrywide protest against police killings, the push for federal recognition of Juneteenth acquired new momentum, and Congress quickly pushed through a law in the summer of 2021 as a national holiday. In the house of Congress, the measure passed by a vote of 415 to 14 (Taylor). All the opposition came from Republicans who argued that calling the new holiday Juneteenth Independence Day would create confusion and force Americans to choose a celebration of freedom depending on their race. President Biden signed the bill into law on June 17, 2021, to make Juneteenth the 11th holiday known by the federal government, and it went into effect immediately (NMAAHC). During the ceremony at the white house, President Biden singled out an activist, Opal Lee, who, at age 89, walked from her home in Fort Worth to Washington D.C., and she was called a grandmother of the movement to remark Juneteenth, a federal holiday.
Why Juneteenth has become Important in Modern Society
Following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died in the custody of the Minneapolis police in May 2020, thousands of individuals around the U.S. streamed into the streets in a riot. The names of individuals killed, including Floyd, David McAtee, Mr. Arbery, and Ms. Taylor, became a rallying cry for change across the nation, effectively rejuvenating the Black Lives Matter Movement (NMAAHC). The changes came in waves, with Minneapolis officials banning the use of chokeholds and strangleholds by police officers, asserting that officers were supposed to intervene and report any use of illegal force. In Congress, democrats unveiled sweeping legislation aiming at racial segregation and misconduct by police officers. The bill became the most widespread intervention into policing that legislators proposed in modern memory. All sectors, including organizations across the business spectrum, echoed support for the movement and fired or suspended any worker who mocked Floyd’s death or made racist remarks. Therefore, following the continuous killings and segregation of black people, Juneteenth remains relevant when African Americans seek freedom in all aspects of their lives.
In conclusion, Juneteenth is an event that commemorates the freedom of enslaved African Americans and the end of the Civil War that happened in Texas on June 19, 1865. Following the freedom from slavery, it was through the thirteenth amendment did emancipation ended slavery. Juneteenth marked the era of hope, ambiguity, and struggle for the country where freed enslaved persons sought to rejoin with their relatives, develop learning institutions, contest political positions and push for radical laws. President Biden has contributed to observing Juneteenth by signing the law that marks the day as a federal holiday. The day of Juneteenth was earlier celebrated by families holding prayers and gatherings, but later on, it included yearly pilgrimages to Galveston by earlier enslaved persons and their families. To ensure that the day is not forgotten in history, several foundation programs have been developed by African Americans to sensitize the black community and provide educational programs to individuals that want to learn more about the event and black Americans’ culture.
Works Cited
Cooper, Floyd. Juneteenth for Mazie. Capstone, 2020.
Nelson, Drew, and Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Juneteenth. Millbrook Press, 2021.
NMAAHC. “The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, Web.
Petty, Kathleen. “How to Celebrate Juneteenth in San Antonio.” San Antonio Magazine, Web.
Rozemberg, Hernan. “Free at Last: Juneteenth Celebrates African American Cultural Contributions to San Antonio.” San Antonio Area Foundation, Web.
Taylor, Derrick Bryson. “What Is Juneteenth?” The New York Times, Web.