Juneteenth, Explained
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Juneteenth is observed annually on June 19. The federal holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States (US). On this day in 1865, the last enslaved people in America learned they were free.
The history of Juneteenth
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It freed millions of enslaved people in ten Confederate States that were not under Union control. However, the Union-loyal border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland were exempt from the order. They continued to practice slavery until the 13th Amendment was passed on January 31, 1865.
The two laws together made slavery illegal across the nation. But 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, did not know they were free until June 19, 1865. That is when the Union Army arrived and informed them of the president's order. On June 19, 1866, the group marked the first anniversary of their freedom with cookouts, dances, and prayers, starting a new tradition.
Juneteenth celebrations
Over time, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, was observed in varying degrees across the US. In 1980, Texas became the first state to officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. However, its significance remained largely unknown outside the African American community until 2020. In 2021, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania made Juneteenth a holiday for state employees. Major corporations like Nike and Spotify also added it to their list of paid holidays.
The steadily growing recognition of Juneteenth was promising. But it was not enough for 97-year-old activist Opal Lee. The Fort Worth, Texas, resident had been trying to make Juneteenth a national holiday since 1989. In 2016, Lee began leading an annual 2.5-mile (4-km) march down Fort Worth's West Lancaster Avenue on June 19. The distance represented the almost two and a half years it took for the slaves in Texas to realize they were free.
Lee's dream finally came true on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. It was the first new national holiday in the US since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983. Lee hopes the holiday will help unite Americans.
"Juneteenth is not a Black thing, and it's not a Texas thing," Lee says. "People all over, I don't care what nationality, we all bleed red blood."
Resources: nmaahc.si.edu, NPR.com, Wikipedia.org
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12 Comments
1mass5 daysMy half birthday is on Junetheenth
koalaqueen5 daysI Really don't Like slavery.go Opal 😁
meza10 daysslavery is wrong, and it should have never existed.
dog8817 daysmy sister's birthday is on Juneteenth
mya_and_raelee18 daysHappy nineteenth June 19,2024
lolimhilarious22 daysYou know how the thirteenth amendment says that slavery is illegal? Well it actually says "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." So that means if someone is convicted of a crime they can be enslaved. Think about that.
techfashion031516 daysYou're right, it does say that, however the amendment aimed to end chattel slavery (like a person being seen as property that is used for work rather than an actually human being), and thankfully, that's gone. 🙌 The exception is outdated, and I don't believe the courts would allow true slavery as a punishment. Good catch tho! I'm a huge fan of the amendments so I really appreciate your thought!
kirkturbos16 daysOh wow! I wonder if the government could apply that nowadays?
doxslover26 dayswhat opal did was the best!
birdie201226 daysIt was so unfair that people were enslaved for different time periods, especially over 2 years! Everyone should have the same rights.
naomig0827 daysSlavery is tragic.
lohasumire27 daysI can't believe that some people were enslaved for 2.5 more years than others! They should all have equal rights. I feel sorry that Opal Lee's house got set on FIRE...
