What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth, a combination of June and nineteenth, is also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, and Jubilee Day. The holiday commemorates the date the last of the slaves in Texas gained their freedom. On June 19th, 1865 Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This came two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Without, enough Union support many in Texas remained in slavery. Finally, with Major Granger and the Union soldiers, resistance was overcome and with the reading of General Orders Number 3 the last of the slaves were set free.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. —General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865”
Celebrations
Celebrations began the very next year with community-centric events, such as, parades, cookouts, prayer gatherings, historical and cultural readings, and musical performances. In the early years celebrations were mostly with in the African-American community. They were met with some resistance and had trouble finding locations to hold festivities. This led to celebrations being held in rural areas near rivers and creeks where they could participate in additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding, and barbecues. Soon land was bought and dedicated to the holiday festivities. One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and made possible the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas. In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898.
In 1980, Texas became the first state to officially designate a Juneteenth holiday. Since then, 45 other states and the District of Columbia also recognized the day. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities.
Juneteenth is a day focused on education and self improvement. It is a day to remember and look toward the future.
Resources and Articles
https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/06/what-is-juneteenth-and-should-it-be-a-federal-holiday.html
https://www.wane.com/news/juneteenth-celebration-downtown-is-positively-fort-wayne/