What Is Juneteenth? What To Know About The Most Important Day in American History
Juneteenth has been an official American holiday for more than 150 years. But in 2020, as protests sweep the nation in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans, Juneteenth’s meaning is as relevant as ever.
June 19, 2023 marks the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth, which commemorated the end of slavery in the United States. This year’s Juneteenth comes amid the Black Lives Matter movement and marches across the world in protest of police brutality and systemic racial discrimination and violence against Black people at the hands of law enforcement. Juneteenth isn’t a new holiday, especially for Black Americans who have been celebrating it for decades, but it does come at a pivotal point in American history. Here’s what to know about it.
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What is Juneteenth?
What is Juneteenth? On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to proclaim that all slaves in Texas were now free. Though the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that ended slavery in the United States, was issued by President Abraham Lincoln two and a half years earlier on January 1, 1863, it wasn’t until Granger’s arrival in Texas in 1865 that the final enslaved Black Americans were informed of their freedom. Given that Texas had a low Union military presence was the most remote state that had slaves, enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was slow, which is why slaves in Texas were the last to know about their freedom.
Since then, June 19th has been referred to as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” and “Emancipation Day” in honor of the final slaves learning of their freedom after the Confederate States were defeated and the American Civil War had officially ended in April 1865.
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How is Juneteenth celebrated?
How is Juneteenth celebrated? Celebrations of Juneteenth date back to 1866 with church gatherings among Black Americans in Texas. After that Juneteenth celebrations spread to other Southern states, with food festivals as one of the more popular festivities in the 1920s and 1930s, according to Time magazine. After the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Juneteenth celebrations resurged with an emphasis on Black arts.
Now, in the 21st century, Juneteenth is celebrated in most big cities across the United States with local festivities. Among Juneteenth traditions are public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as singing songs with importance to Black History such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” according to Juneteenth.com. Other celebrations include readings of notable Black writers, such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou, as well as historical reenactments, street fairs, rodeos, cookouts and other parties. Some big cities, such as Atlanta and Washington D.C., also host larger events, such as parades and festivals with musical performances and Miss Juneteenth contests.
Where is Juneteenth a holiday?
Where is Juneteenth a holiday? Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021. In 1980, Texas became the first state to officialize Juneteenth as a state holiday. After Texas, 45 other states (as well as Washington D.C.) have recognized Juneteenth as a ceremonial holiday, with others to come. On Tuesday, June 16, the Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, proposed legislation to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday for Virginia residents. New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo declared on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 that Juneteenth would also be a holiday for state employees. Companies such as Twitter, Target, Best Buy, and the National Football League have also declared that Juneteenth would be a paid holiday for employees.
“RT if you think Congress should make Juneteenth a national holiday,” Jamaal Bowman, a candidate for a New York state congress, wrote in a tweet that’s been retweeted more than 200,000 times.
A year after the George Floyd protests, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. It overwhelmingly passed the House and the Senate. President Biden said that the day had “profound weight and profound power,” and “a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country, and continues to take.” Grandmother of Juneteenth Opal Lee was in attendance of the signing.
He continued saying that American citizens need to “feel the power of this day and learn from our history, and celebrate the progress, and grapple with the distance we’ve come, and the distance we have to travel.” Great nations “don’t ignore their most painful moments,” the President said. “We come to terms with the mistakes we’ve made,” he added, in order to remember them and begin to heal and grow stronger.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said of the event, “As we establish Juneteenth as our newest national holiday, let us be clear about what happened on June 19, 1865, the day we call Juneteenth,” referring to the final slaves learning of their freedom. “They learned that they were free. And they claimed their freedom,” Harris said and urgied Americans to “learn from our history” and “teach our children our history.”
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