What Is Juneteenth? And Why It Is Important To Remember

Hello! Wonderful People

I pray that you are having a wonderful day and keeping cool during this heatwave that we are experiencing on the first weekend of summer.

Today is June 19th, and I remember my mother today because it’s her heavenly birthday. Today has also been designated as a new federal holiday, honoring the legacy of Juneteenth. Many people may not be familiar with what Juneteenth is and why it needs to be celebrated and remembered.

June 19, 1865, marks the official end of slavery in the United States when the last remaining slaves were freed inTexas. The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, became law on January 1, 1863, and marked the end of slavery in the United States. But it would take two and a half years for all enslaved people to experience their freedom. Texas was the last of the confederate states that stood in rebellion following the Civil War. However, due to insufficient Union troops and officials in Texas, the Emancipation Proclamation was not easily enforced, and enslaved people were still being held captive there.

Union Major Gen. Gordon Granger and his regiment rode into Galveston on June 19, 1865, with news that the Civil War had ended in April and that the more than 250,000 enslaved people living in Texas were now free. Granger proclaimed,

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

Almost immediately, enslaved people in Texas celebrated their freedom with great joy and jubilation. They coined the celebration as Juneteenth. And in the years that followed, the newly freed men and women and their descendants would celebrate the day with music, BBQs, and prayer services. There is even a Miss Juneteenth Pageant in Fort Worth, Texas.

And now, one hundred and fifty-six years later, Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday. But how should we be celebrating or honoring this day?

I believe it is an opportunity to teach people of all ages about the stain that slavery has left on our country. The United States was established on the principles of freedom, but that freedom was not given to all people.

I believe it is an opportunity to teach people of all ages about unity and acceptance of all people, regardless of skin color or ethnicity. No matter what they believe in or who they pray to. We need to look at their heart and their character and learn to love them for who they are.

I believe it is an opportunity to teach people that history is not an easy thing to understand, that there is more to understanding it and learning it than what is presented in our textbooks. That the history of people who don’t look like us still needs to be studied and learned.

I am interested to see how, in the coming years, Juneteenth will be celebrated and honored. I see it as a great opportunity for healing and unity in this country. But only if everyone makes that effort and takes a step closer together.