Americans will soon commemorate Juneteenth, signifying the day when the final enslaved individuals in the United States discovered they were liberated.
Black Americans have long recognized cookouts or musical performances, street festivals, and parades as forms of celebration that bring joy and honor the darkest chapters in U.S. History for generations.
The U.S. Government was deliberate in recognizing the significance of June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, as a federal holiday by passing a bill signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Many people are facing new pressures to learn about Juneteenth, which is all about the nation’s racial history and the efforts of companies using event marketing as a holiday to teach Americans about the condemnation of political rhetoric without understanding the importance of partying traditions.
This is a analysis of the origins of Juneteenth, how it transformed into a nationwide celebration, and additional information regarding its historical context.
WHAT DOES ‘JUNETEENTH’ MEAN?
It is also called Juneteenth, a blend of the words June nineteenth, and it is the second Independence Day and Emancipation Day holiday.
It started with church gatherings and speeches and spread as African American Texans relocated to other areas.
Juneteenth, a holiday honoring the recognition of the day when slaves were emancipated, is now celebrated in most states across the United States, including Nevada, Washington, Virginia, New York, and Texas. Companies in these states provide their employees with a paid day off to commemorate this important historical event.
Politicians and celebrities were backing their lending. Soon, in Washington D.C., Before other cities, they arrived in Fort Worth, Texas, where an old little lady walked through her city in tennis shoes. In 2016, she vividly remembered celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child, with games, food, music, and a federal holiday. Activist and former teacher Opal Lee is largely credited with rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Lee was among the individuals standing beside Biden as he signed Juneteenth into legislation.
Juneteenth
HOW DID JUNETEENTH START?
Some white individuals who had gained from their uncompensated work were hesitant to disclose the news. However, in numerous locations in the Southern states, its implementation was not possible until the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, despite President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation granting freedom to the enslaved individuals in 1863. The commemorations commenced with enslaved individuals in Galveston, Texas.
In a 1941 interview, Laura Smalley recollected that the individual she called “old master” returned home from his service in the Civil War without informing the individuals he had enslaved, who had been liberated from a plantation close to Bellville, Texas.
Smalley stated, “they were liberated, you know, didn’t inform the old master.” “Following that, they worked for six months, they claim they currently believe. On June 19th, they set themselves free. We all know that day is commemorated, well, that’s why.”
In June 1865, after more than two months, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army in Virginia. Finally, when General Gordon Granger of the Union Army reached Galveston, the troops under his command arrived in the Gulf Coast city. This marked the end of the war, as reported by the News.
The third order General, Granger, declared, “The citizens of Texas are notified that, as per a declaration from the Head of State of the United States, all enslaved individuals are now liberated. This entails a complete parity of individual liberties and property rights between previous owners and slaves, and the previous association between them transforms into that of an employer and hired labor.”
The celebrations and processions of the Emancipation Proclamation encompass various activities. Juneteenth, which originated in Galveston, marks the beginning of the commemoration of people who gained freedom the following year. Slavery was permanently abolished in Georgia six months after the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
HOW HAVE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS?
The national reckoning over race, ignited by the murder of George Floyd by the police in 2020, helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.
The bill was sponsored by Edward Sen. Markey, D-Mass., And had 60 co-sponsors, showing bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that were simmering for three years.
There is currently a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for education and activism, aiming to address racial disparities and inequities in healthcare, as well as on panels and projects focused on community service and educational initiatives, through the creation of spaces and green parks.
Some of the marketing has provoked a social media backlash. Other venues and retailers have also capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts and ice cream party ware. Juneteenth has also been seen as a fair share of commercialism, like most holidays.
Advocates of the holiday have also endeavored to ensure that Juneteenth revelers do not overlook the purpose behind the day’s existence.
Dee Evans, the national director of communications for the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, stated in 2019, “While the country gained independence from Britain in 1776, not all individuals were granted their freedom.” Evans further added, “True liberation for both the people and the entire nation was achieved on June 19, 1865.”
In these times of heightened racial and political tensions, particularly in the United States, there is also a prevailing desire to commemorate the sacrifices that were undertaken for the sake of liberty.
“Our liberties are delicate, and it only requires a small amount for circumstances to regress,” expressed Para LaNell Agboga, the coordinator of the museum site at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center located in Austin, Texas.