Juneteenth’s roots are in Texas, but its celebration is now nationwide, including Fresno

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021 when President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Juneteenth is also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day.

It is usually celebrated on the third Saturday in June. All states now recognize Juneteenth as a holiday as well some businesses and school districts across the nation. It has also become an international celebration that takes place in such countries as France, Honduras, Ghana, Japan, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago. There is also a Juneteenth flag that contains the colors of red, white and blue that features a five-pointed star in the center, reflective of Texas, the Lone Star state.

On Jan. 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and issued by President Lincoln that freed the enslaved population. The official announcement did not come to Texas until the arrival of the Union Army led by Gen. Gordon Granger on Jan. 19, 1865 with the Proclamation, General Order No. 3, proclaiming the end of enslavement. However, it was not until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (Dec. 6, 1865) to the U.S. Constitution that chattel slavery was officially abolished.

On the date of June 19, 1866, a huge celebration took place in Galveston, Texas marking the anniversary of the arrival of Gen. Granger with the official announcement, thus establishing the date for future celebrations. The term “Juneteenth” is derived from the combining of the words June and Nineteenth, June being the month and 19th the date. Celebrations were held primarily in Texas cities such as Galveston, Austin, and Houston.

Juneteenth is particularly important to African Americans as a time to celebrate kinship bonds and connect to our ancestors as well showcase the accomplishments and contributions made by our ancestors during enslavement and thereafter.

As a professor emeritus at Fresno State who taught in Africana Studies, I am extremely proud of a diversity of students (ethnicities and majors) who have studied African American history and culture in our program, and who now celebrate Juneteenth through the lessons that they learned. Each year on the “Golden Westside” of Fresno, a grand celebration of Juneteenth takes place at the Hinton Community Center or one of the local parks.

It should be noted also that a statewide Juneteenth celebration takes place at Col. Allensworth State Historic Park, 75 miles south of Fresno. Allensworth was the first African American town established in California and is named in honor of one of its co-founders, Col. Allen Allensworth, who was born in slavery but was able to escape to freedom. I have written a 40-page booklet entitled, “A Pictorial History of Allensworth: A Unique Black Town,” as well as developed and taught a course on Allensworth that included a trip to the park.

During the early years, most of the Juneteenth celebrations were organized through African American churches, as this was one of the few institutions controlled by African Americans. In time, these celebrations have spread across the South and increased in popularity and types of activities. Starting with the Great Migration (1915), on average, 1.5 million African Americans per decade moved to the North and West out of the South in an effort to escape Jim Crow laws. It should be noted that they brought their cultural practices with them. Juneteenth became a phenomenon that was, by then, embedded in the cultural ways of African Americans.

My parents (William and Leona Mikell) and their siblings were participants in this migratory pattern. A month after I graduated (June, 1957) from Booker T. Washington Senior High School in New Orleans, my father, grandfather (Wallace), and I drove out to the San Francisco-Oakland area, where both my parents had relatives who had come before them. My mother and my other siblings would arrive by September for the start of the school year.

Over the years, the Juneteenth celebrations have grown in size and in venues. Various organizations as well as individual families participate. Celebrations usually include public and private events, such as potlucks; barbecue cook-offs; picnics; workplace-sponsored lunches; rodeos; and block parties.

Programs usually open with the singing of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing;” Exhibits are in schools, libraries, post offices, and city halls. Educational competitions for youth are sponsored, and community service awards are given. An array of Juneteenth memorabilia are available including T-shirts, buttons, bags, and posters. In addition, some communities might sponsor a Miss Juneteenth contest. Other events might include the readings of African American writers such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and many others.

If you go

Juneteenth 2022 in Fresno is being held at Valdez Hall in downtown Fresno. It began Thursday and continues through Monday. For details, go online to http://fresnojuneteenth.com/ or call 559-544-1857.

Robert S. Mikell is a professor emeritus of Africana Studies at Fresno State.

Robert Mikell
Robert Mikell