What is Juneteenth?
Here’s Why We Honor, the Federal Holiday Juneteenth. (June 19).
Today we celebrate the Federal Holiday of “Juneteenth”
Everything you need to know about why we commemorate June 19th.
A key American historical event finally received federal recognition in recent years: June 19, 1865—the day “ALL” people living in the United States, including the formerly enslaved, were officially granted freedom.
Many of us in the United States have grown up with the idea that the Fourth of July is about as American as you can get.
People come out in droves to celebrate the holiday, which honors the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, with festive cookouts, fireworks, and red, white, and blue desserts.
However, the national observance of Juneteenth provides a fuller, and more accurate, portrait of America’s history beyond July 4th's celebrations.
One-third of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence were slaveholders, including founding father Thomas Jefferson. The famous document did initially have a passage that denounced slavery, but it was removed in part to please the South, which relied heavily on the slave trade.
As such, July 4th was founded on an idea of freedom created by a group of men who either believed they rightfully owned Black people or were not willing to stand up to the atrocities of slavery in the United States.
And, as former First Lady Michelle Obama reminded us in her powerful 2016 DNC speech, it was the enslaved who built the White House—a residence that represents not only the presidency but American democracy and freedom.
Not recognizing Juneteenth, will erased these historical facts, by glossing over the racist ideas and policies that were integral to founding our nation.
In 2020, in light of the national resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement amid the police killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, the holiday took on an even bigger meaning for many. Americans—many for the first time—were seeking to honor Black lives lost in a way that they could, in order to honor and acknowledge the “historical” struggles of the community.
Juneteenth is an opportunity for folks to catch their breath about this incredible pace of change and shifting that has happened.
On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, and just two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered, with the Union Army winning the war, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control. He issued General Order No.3, to inform enslaved people that they were free and that the Civil War was officially over!
THIS IS WHY WE CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH, because it honors the day, when “ALL” of the enslaved, were made aware of the Emancipation Proclamation and were officially legally released from their bonds.
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law making the day known as Juneteenth a national holiday.
Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments. They don’t ignore those moments of the past. They embrace them. Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we made. And in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger.” Joseph Biden, President USA
(~curated)