Everything To Know About Juneteenth, An Integral Day In Black History

By Ashley Oken


Juneteenth marks more than the commemoration of the final emancipation of these who have been enslaved In the
U.S.. It honors a new milestone of freedom for Black Residents of the United States as well as a day of reflection on their achievements. Falling on June 19 per year, it’s a day once we step back and make a task to understand the continuous effects of slavery and people’s abilities to overcome.


The history of Juneteenth isn't taught in most schools, so we’re here to catch you up. In 1863, throughout the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing the abolition of slavery and the release of more than 3 million enslaved people living in the Confederate states. But, not each person got the memo. More than two years later, word of freedom reached those in Galveston, Texas by way of General Gordon Granger and Union soldiers arriving in the city on June, 19, 1865. The males presented a group freeing them, effectively ending slavery in all 50 states. The celebrations that followed would serve because basis for Juneteenth.


However in spite of the fact that the release of enslaved people in Texas was a sign of progress, considerable barriers continued to impede the freedom of Black Residents of the United States decades immediately following the Civil War ended. This period seen a wave of segregative restrictions and violence in the practice of lynching, discriminatory housing policies, and mass incarceration. Though Black Residents of the
U.S. Have been out of bondage for over 150 years, freedom and justice are still elusive. The expansive movement for Black lives has emerged in recent years in response to an epidemic of police brutality and systemic racism still plaguing the United States.


Just a little bit over one year immediately following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman, this year’s Juneteenth is more pertinent than ever. It is a reminder that Black Residents of the United States have created lives, culture, and families worth celebrating daily. Here's everything you should know about this critical holiday and also several ways you could honor it.


Juneteenth goes by other names.


A blend of “June” and “nineteenth” in honor of the day that Granger reported the abolition of slavery in Texas, the holiday is also referred to as “Freedom Day,” “Liberation Day,” “Jubilee Day,” and “Emancipation Day.” In its early years, descendants of formerly enslaved people often made the annual journey to Galveston to celebrate the holiday in its birthplace.


There are countless theories as to why the Emancipation Proclamation was not enforced in Texas.


Struggling to explain the 30-month gap between Lincoln’s declaration and the moment it reached those still enslaved in Galveston, some have speculated that Texans suppressed the announcement. Other theories abound, also, like that the original messenger was killed to prevent intelligence from being transmitted, that the federal government suppressed the message to get a final cotton harvest out of enslaved workers, and or that Lincoln’s proclamation was unable to be enforced in rebel states before the end of the war. None have been corroborated.


The Juneteenth flag is full of symbolism.


The Juneteenth flag is half red and half blue with a star in the middle, which serves as a reminder that enslaved people and their descendants were and are Residents of the United States. It is segment of an annual flag-raising ceremony in Galveston. Representing a star of Texas bursting with new freedom during the land on the “horizon” of red and blue fields, the flag is a symbol of new sovereignty for Black people.


Juneteenth celebrations rejected in popularity throughout the Jim Crow era up until the starting of the civil rights movement.


The expansion of segregation laws in the late 1800s and early 20th century made it challenging to collect in parks and public spaces where Juneteenth would be celebrated correctly. The 1968 Poor People’s March in Washington, D.C., A demonstration for economic justice for people of diverse backgrounds proposed by Martin Luther King Jr., Was purposely scheduled to coincide with the holiday.


Following the providing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, not each person immediately noticed freedom.


Not every state or territory chose to follow Lincoln’s orders to free enslaved people, leaving roughly 250,000 Black Residents of the United States without knowledge of their freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation also did not apply to enslaved people in the border states Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware which had not joined the Confederacy. Due to not wanting to tempt them into joining the Confederacy, President Lincoln chose not to include them in the Proclamation.


The period immediately after Juneteenth is referred to as “the scatter.”


Newly free people were reluctant to remain with their former masters, even if pay was involved, leading several to leave before Granger had finished making the official announcement on their emancipation. However, some stayed behind, fearing for the welfare of themselves and their families. The period that followed was called “the scatter,” a time any time several formerly enslaved people left Texas and flocked to the North in search of family member members and more welcoming accommodations.


Emancipation Park in Houston was paid for specifically to celebrate Juneteenth. 


The day was first celebrated in Austin in 1866 under the charge of the Freedman’s Bureau. In 1872, Black leaders raised $1,000 to buy 10 acres in Houston, right now referred to as Emancipation Park, to honor the holiday. It was the only public park and swimming pool in the city’s Third Ward area that was open to Black people up until the 1950s.


Some cities and groups have Miss Juneteenth contests. 


The Miss Juneteenth contest takes place around the nation. It is a pageant where teenage women vie for a scholarship to any historically Black college or university. It’s chronicled in the Netflix drama Miss Juneteenth, Channing Godfrey Peoples’s directorial debut starring Nicole Beharie as a former Miss Juneteenth of Fort Worth, Texas and single mom of a teenage daughter who wants to right her wrongs.


Juneteenth is a federal holiday.


There has been a growing movement pushing the United States government to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. In February 2021, lawmakers reintroduced a bill titled the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which recently passed Congress. President Joe Biden signed the bill establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday on June 17.


Red foods are traditional on Juneteenth. 


The color red is a symbol of the resilience and determination of formerly enslaved people, so cuisine like watermelons, cherry pie, red velvet cake, hot dogs, red-hued juice, and strawberries are brilliant for a holiday feast. Soul food, like collard greens or mac and cheese, is suitable fare, as well.


There are several ways to celebrate Juneteenth. 


Historical reenactments, studying Black history, reading the Emancipation Proclamation, and singing regional tunes like “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” are regular ways to honor Juneteenth. Celebrations can also take the form of picnics, cookouts, block parties, shooting fireworks, and street fairs. Since Black communities face disproportionate effects of environmental racism, organizing a community cleanup will assist rein in pollution and lower harm for environmental factors while making life healthier for all. Party, eat good food, and resemble on history — with a purpose.