By Ajay Iyer
Juneteenth is, by definition, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery within the United States. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger of the Union Army informed then-enslaved African-Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were now free. It marked the beginning of the experience of freedom, although the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued in 1963.
Although this was considered happy news, many questioned why General Granger brought the news of the emancipation of enslaved people to Galveston, Texas two years after the proclamation was issued. Speculations as to why span from the death of the initial messenger to the Union soldiers allowing slave-owners in the South one last season of cotton. We may never know the true reason, but the date of the actual receipt of the news, June 19th, is forever immortalized.
Upon being presented with this news, many of the now formerly enslaved African-Americans began to plan out their new lives, despite the fact that most had no prospects. Some sought to go North for a true taste of freedom while others went to neighboring states to find lost family and friends. Still others stayed within Texas. Regardless of where they went, all were forced to find an identity within a system that had denied them a human existence.
For years following the original Juneteenth, the formerly enslaved and their families came back to Galveston to celebrate their freedom and to remember their history, eventually expanding into the current, national celebration of Juneteenth on an annual basis.
Juneteenth was often celebrated through prayer and eventually lead to the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas in 1872 by a group of African-American professionals, which would serve as a focal point for the celebration for years to come. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated more in the Southern USA and is celebrated with food and music, as well as massive barbecues, concerts, and parades.
Although Juneteenth is not a national holiday, it is recognized by 46 US states. Legislation in the Senate was passed in 2018 to declare June 19th "Juneteenth Independence Day", but this legislation has not yet reached the House of Representatives.
This may be one of the first years many of you are hearing of Juneteenth. This is likely the first time in many years that the holiday has been so heavily publicized due to the Trump administration's decision to hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19th for Trump's second presidential campaign. The rally has since been moved to the day after, "out of respect" for Juneteenth and likely as a result of the backlash the event received internationally.
Today, the history of the treatment of black Americans is finally coming to light given the protests following the murder of George Floyd, making it even more important that we use this day to recognize the value that black Americans have in the development of American history and to encourage true systemic change to prevent injustice and promote the core principle of the USA: freedom.
Sources:
Bologna, Jamie, and Tiziana Dearing. “The Long History Of Juneteenth Celebrations.”The Long History Of Juneteenth Celebrations | Radio Boston, WBUR, 18 June 2020, www.wbur.org/radioboston/2020/06/18/history-of-juneteenth.
“History.”JUNETEENTH WORLD WIDE CELEBRATION, www.juneteenth.com/history.htm.
Taylor, Derrick Bryson. “So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth?”The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html.
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