In recent years, there have been competing events. Since then, black Americans have marked June 19th — or Juneteenth — with picnics, parades, and fireworks displays. “These things are a real signal that [major institutions] are done with racial discrimination in its most blatant forms,” Gross said. Just as the traditions of Juneteenth were getting lost, some groups started to take them back, and give the holiday a new, political significance. (Here's how the recent racial violence reflects a brutal American legacy.). Juneteenth was first celebrated by newly emancipated black Texans 155 years ago. The performance will start at 9 a.m. Ralph Abernathy, ‘We finally have our own holiday.’ Slavery’s end celebrated with Juneteenth Day festivities, the site of the deadliest race riot in American history, Systemic racism has affected all of us. The National Registry for Juneteenth Organizations and Supporters reports that “on June 19th [1865] the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas … On Juneteenth, a time to reflect on how America got equality so wrong | Editorial, Systemic racism has affected all of us. She’s even written a children’s book about Juneteenth. “During the [post-Civil War] Reconstruction period, African Americans were agents for change for their own lives during the nation’s transition,” says Mary Elliott, curator of American slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Emancipation Park in Houston’s Third Ward, one of the city’s oldest and most culturally significant neighborhoods, was reopened for Juneteenth 2017 after a three-year renovation. “The document only applied to the Confederacy, and so states like Maryland still did not abandon slavery. The problem was it wasn’t taught in school. Today, Juneteenth is often celebrated in Black communities with parties and especially barbeques, parades, festivals, and picnics. Her own four offspring produced 27 grandchildren, and at least 15 great-grandchildren. Philly’s Juneteenth celebrations grew from there. Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day, holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, observed annually on June 19. Elliott says the first official Juneteenth commemorations were organized by the Freedmen’s Bureau, a government agency established in 1867 to provide support for newly liberated slaves, and spread as freed slaves migrated north and west. He noticed the date: June 19, 1939. Juneteenth is an annual holiday which occurs on June 19th and is observed in the United States. Juneteenth was celebrated in black households — especially in the South — through the turn of the 20th century. Why Does Juneteenth … “And I figure we’re on the same road. The Denver Dancing Diamonds perform at a Juneteenth parade in 2015. What we want to do to is return them back to their consciousness and learn the history that was lost to them.”. Forty-seven other states and Washington, D.C. have passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday or a public observance. But it was African Americans who were out there fighting the good fight, and they still are.”. It's time for Juneteenth to get the recognition it deserves. While this holiday isn’t an official government holiday in any U.S state, it is recognized as a ceremonial observance in roughly half of […] Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s. Also known as America's second Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day, Juneteenth honors enslaved people, African American heritage, and the many … This is why we celebrate Juneteenth, because it honors the day in history all Black people in America were both aware of the Emancipation Proclamation and officially legally released from their bonds. So Otis Flake and his family left the smoldering wreckage and never looked back. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger , landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free . Now, it feels like it is being affirmed.”. Though her mother’s family is from Houston, Elliott didn’t learn about Juneteenth until she was an adult well into her careers in marketing and law. “I just keep thinking that if we were able to work together as a people, white folks, brown folks, black folks, we could accomplish something. The 27-year-old grocery clerk is co-organizing a Freedom Day March in Washington, D.C. on June 19, slated to begin at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture and end at the Lincoln Memorial. Every June 19 in Fort Worth, Lee is the Grand Dame of an annual city-wide celebration that includes a beauty pageant, conversations, and a caravan through the city. And that reverberated through the black community, and beyond. Tom Wolf declared Juneteenth a state holiday. But the date was left out of the history books. (After serious backlash, Trump postponed the rally to Saturday. On social media, in schools and local government, people use “Freedom Day,” as its also known, to focus on African-American history and victory over struggle and barriers. (The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery across the U.S. didn’t come into effect until almost six months later in December 1865, almost three years after Lincoln’s proclamation.). And as long as her health holds up, Lee hopes to walk her way into the history books by campaigning to have June 19 declared a national holiday known as “Juneteenth.”. Union soldier Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Texas with his regiment, as the story goes, on June 13, but it took him six days to get to Galveston where the last of the enslaved were in bondage. She invokes her family as she explains her passion about sharing the history and meaning of Juneteenth, summarizing it in one word: “Hope.”, “I’m a Christian, and my bible tells me that the people who came before me went through a whole lot of things,” Lee says. Here’s how to start unlearning its harmful lessons | Elizabeth Wellington. And Juneteenth reminds me that even when there’s struggle, you can still have hope.”. You gotta have some hope, because hopelessness wears you out, it drains you. Celebration, reflection and progression are what historians say some African Americans across the country anticipate each year with the commemoration of Juneteenth. Here's how the recent racial violence reflects a brutal American legacy. Though slavery has been out of practice for over 150 years, Juneteenth is still a day that is celebrated among many who want to make sure the relevance of the day isn't forgotten. These developments are part of a wave of actions over the last few weeks to dismantle the symbols of systemic racism in the U.S.: the retirement of the 131-year-old Aunt Jemima brand and acknowledging its roots in racist imagery, the removal of Confederate statues in several cities in the South, NASCAR’s ban of the Confederate flag at races, and the city of Gulfport’s removal of the Mississippi state flag because of the inclusion of Confederate imagery. “It’s all about community,” says Jonathan Talley of Roxbury, Massachusetts. Elliott can trace her father’s roots back to plantations in Mississippi and Louisiana. It took the 13th Amendment [in December 1865] to officially end slavery nationwide.”. But she’s fully prepared to resume once the coronavirus lockdown ends. While the Emancipation Proclamation was pivotal to dismantling American slavery, Elliott says it was just a first step. Celebrated as Juneteenth, — a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” — the holiday recognizes when the United States ended its historic practice of slavery, legally and in the real world. Her expertise at delving into her family’s genealogy led to her current job, and to an understanding of Juneteenth’s significance for African Americans. That sentiment is especially notable in 2020, as America navigates a fresh era of racial turmoil. “It was rooted in history, and community elders who would share the historical context,” she says. During Cheers’s youth, Juneteenth meant neighborhood barbecues and music—but not like the average Fourth of July cookout. One sued the president last year. When he told them they were free, parties erupted in the streets. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. Opal Lee was 12 years old in 1939 when a mob burned down her family’s home in Fort Worth, Texas. And those who kept the holiday alive — even if it was just by saying an extra prayer at Sunday dinner — have left us. The truth is, Juneteenth always mattered. “There’s something to be said about African Americans’ self-awareness and their sense of place in this nation,” she says, “because we had these ideals that were supposed to come along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but not everyone was free.”. That means the most important historical event in black history is still fighting for recognition. Businesses like Twitter, Nike, and the NFL have made it an official company holiday in response to the protests over racial injustice. “Freedom didn’t come for everyone, even on June 19,” she says. Since June 19, 1865, Americans have observed and celebrated Juneteenth as Emancipation Day, a day of freedom. This year’s Juneteenth celebration takes on even more importance as Americans — of all races, creeds, and colors — are seeing how much black American lives, and history, have been ignored. It serves as a celebration of the progress attained by generations of fighting for freedoms and rights; it also serves as a reminder of the work yet to come that will be necessary in order to ensure a brighter, more equitable world for all children and future … Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. In Philly, Ronald Brown of Mount Airy began holding annual Juneteenth events in 1997, starting with a three-day event in Germantown that included parades, educational events, and picnics, as well as tours of important black history sites, including stops on the Underground Railroad. Juneteenth — a mashup of “June 19" — became a day of celebration for Black people in Texas, a tradition that slowly spread as they migrated to other states such as Louisiana and California. White supremacists have been very effective in silencing the voices that teach an expansive, truthful and realistic history of this nation.”. And this year, amid the racially charged atmosphere, Mayor Jim Kenney made June 19 an official city holiday, too, closing all city offices and facilities. Why Juneteenth is a celebration of hope For African Americans, June 19th has long been a day of remembrance and affirmation. Cities are rethinking the role of police departments. This year, Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S., will be celebrated by Black Americans amid a national reckoning on race. “It’s a family reunion for a lot of folks around here.”, “My father was someone who reminded us, yes, that Proclamation was extended, and in simplistic terms it freed the slaves in the United States,” says Cheers, an Associate Professor of Digital Storytelling at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “But it wasn’t lost on us that many people ‘did not get the memo.’ That’s how he put it.”. To white America, Granger’s arrival in Texas ending slavery for those who had been enslaved an additional 2½ years wasn’t a big deal. So, for the record, Juneteenth is the oldest and largest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. “But now, I’m excited people want to know about their history. The holiday also comes as America starts to look at real change in how it treats black Americans. Chi Oriji of the Atlantic City Carnival leads the group in the winin dance during the Juneteenth Parade, recognizing the end of slavery in America, along East Market Street in 2018. In fact, many younger African-American social justice activists like Morgan Barnhart intend to use Juneteenth 2020 as a platform for elevating racial issues. Those conversations helped Cheers consider the possibility that some of her own ancestors had toiled as slaves, years after they’d been declared free. Here’s how to start unlearning its harmful lessons. Philly teachers don’t report to school buildings for a second day; teacher vaccinations expected to start Feb. 22, California residents do not sell my data request, Brown’s Juneteenth celebration this year is online, and it will include a virtual walk through what was the 7th Ward in the 1830s, a historic African American neighborhood, now Old City near the nation’s first African American Episcopal Church. It is the completion of the celebration of freedom in America," said Steve Williams, president of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. Cheers says that over the past few years, her son Isaiah has celebrated Juneteenth in Houston with his godmother. More Philly lawyers sign on to Trump’s impeachment defense. It was made a Texas state holiday in 1980. It is commemorated on the annivers… Juneteenth saw a resurgence during civil rights protests in the 1950s and 1960s when student demonstrators in Atlanta wore Juneteenth freedom buttons, to call on the support of their ancestors. “They can just claim ignorance is bliss, but because Isaiah is six and he’s tall, there’s a moment that he’s going to go from being sweet and cute to unfortunately people viewing him as a threat. And so, the tradition of black families celebrating Juneteenth got a little lost in the 20th century. Too often, the story has been that they were fortunate to have non-African Americans writing the legislation to secure their freedom. I see Juneteenth as the unifier, bringing all folks together.”. Here, she speaks at the Fort Worth City Hall in 2015 about a new Texas license plate commemorating Juneteenth. As they’d celebrated Juneteenth through the decades, none of Lee’s children or grandchildren knew it had occurred on that date. Those who persevered celebrated, and one year after slaves in Texas were declared free by Granger’s military order, the first Juneteenth celebration … Though awareness of Juneteenth is by no means universal for African Americans, it ranges across socioeconomic and class lines, and is rooted in a sense of pride about historic contributions and sacrifices. But like so many African Americans before and since, Opal Lee wasn’t broken by the experience. The Juneteenth reboot was a slow one, but there has been a real uptick in parades and festivals in joyful observance. They fought at every turn, and it is important to tell that story. Period. “The reality is the African American experience is not widely taught in the U.S. public school system [and that] is unconscionable, because it’s at the heart of the very shaping of this nation. In this movement, for the first time, I have seen everyone talking about the systematic racism that still plagues this country. 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. “African Americans did not lay down and let life happen to them. And that’s very, very soon. Many families and communities still celebrate Juneteenth with parades, concerts, cookouts and other events, according to USA Today. Juneteenth joins list of Philadelphia city holidays, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Leader the Rev. “Even though there’s still much work to be done, we have to celebrate the freedom that we have,” Lee says. President Lincoln had signed the document on January 1, 1863, but it took another two and a half years for news of freedom to reach the nearly quarter of a million slaves in Texas. Here is a primer, and why we should all celebrate: » READ MORE: Juneteenth joins list of Philadelphia city holidays. “I guess they didn’t believe we deserved to have it.”. As America experiences a national reckoning on race, more and more people are amplifying the history behind Juneteenth and its connection to modern issues such as police brutality and economic inequality. The Museum of the American Revolution will offer a 20-minute theatrical piece, via Facebook, featuring Nastassia Parker as Ona Judge, the enslaved woman who ran away from George and Martha Washington’s household in Philadelphia. For more information. For Opal Lee, that affirmation would culminate in all Americans acknowledging the country’s complex history with slavery, race, and equality through shared commemorations. Juneteenth legislation has been passed in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Even before this year’s protests demanding black lives, and by extension black history, be taken seriously, Juneteenth — the oldest American holiday to commemorate the end of slavery — was creeping into the zeitgeist. “When I started this, 99% of people didn’t know what Juneteenth was,” Brown said. So we have those conversations.”. Scores of institutions and leaders, from Quaker Oats regarding its Aunt Jemima brand, to Anna Wintour at Vogue, are apologizing for how they have treated black people, both symbolically and in practice. The by-product: Young black people went home to cities, including Milwaukee and Minneapolis, and kicked off Juneteenth celebrations to pay homage to their history. We’re gonna go through struggle after struggle until we come to the Promised Land. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, is a celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States. In 2015, as a local journalist profiled Lee for a story about her campaign for a license plate acknowledging Juneteenth in Texas, he found an Associated Press report about the burning of the Flake family house nine decades ago. Racism. Sure, President Abraham Lincoln freed black people in the South from bondage 157 years ago, on Jan. 1, 1863, when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The jokes were just jokes, and the sly comments were just comments. Imani Cheers remembers celebrating Juneteenth as a child along with many other middle and upper middle-class families in Maryland’s suburban Prince George’s County. Too often, American history portrays African Americans as passive participants in their own story, waiting to be delivered from struggle. After all, the Fourth of July was the day set aside for American independence. But when the sheriffs arrived, they told him that if he fired, they would turn the mob loose. The Juneteenth reboot was a slow one, but there has been a real uptick in parades and festivals in joyful observance. NJOF Modern Juneteenth History For many African Americans, Juneteenth means neighborhood barbecues and music, but also remembering and reckoning with history. Her photojournalist father, D. Michael Cheers, was an editor for Ebony and Jet magazines over several decades. Here, a celebration in Richmond, Virginia in 1905. Juneteenth has been celebrated informally since 1865, but Texas became the first state to make it a state holiday in 1980. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is celebrated annually on June 19. At Juneteenth cookouts and barbecues, red foods like red velvet cake or strawberry soda are traditional, as red is a “a symbol of ingenuity and resilience in bondage,” … This day has gained even more significance in 2020, due to the BLM protests being held in America, after the death of African-American man George Floyd in police custody. After marrying at 16 and giving birth to four children, Lee earned a college degree, became a schoolteacher, social worker, food bank coordinator, and much beloved pillar of the Fort Worth community who, at age 93, still delivers meals to disabled and elderly residents. Those who persevered celebrated, and one year after slaves in Texas were declared free by Granger's military order, the first Juneteenth celebration was held. Since 2016, Lee has walked 2.5 miles in Fort Worth each June 19 to raise awareness about the African-American tradition, and has also done so in 20 cities across the country. Ralph Abernathy spoke at the Poor Peoples Campaign in Washington and urged poor people of all races to demand jobs, unemployment, a fair minimum wage, and education to improve self-image and self-esteem of poor people. The park was created in 1872 specifically to provide a permanent location for an annual Juneteenth celebration. Her father, Otis Flake, grabbed his shotgun to protect his wife Mattie and three children from the angry crowd. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and it's going to be celebrated a lot differently in 2020. The color red can be found all over these celebrations as a symbol of resillience. “I don’t have the luxury of providing him with a false narrative about race that I know a lot of my non-black friends do,” Cheers says. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it is now celebrated annually on the 19th of June throughout the United States, with varying official recognition. “America’s greatness was predicated on black supplication,” said Kali Nicole Gross, the Martin Luther King Scholar of Black History at Rutgers University and coauthor of A Black Women’s History of the United States. In a 2017 Black-ish episode, Anthony Anderson’s character, Dre, demands his family celebrate the way-too undervalued holiday. Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection celebrates American jazz performer Robert “Bootsie” Barnes, 2 p.m. Friday. How Black Americans can practice self-care during these trying times. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. | Elizabeth Wellington. But today’s outrage and protest sparked by ongoing race-related killings and other racial and economic injustices are as much a part of African-American history as they were a hundred years ago. Why Juneteenth is a sacred day for African Americans. Within a decade, Philly started hosting an annual parade sponsored by legendary Philadelphia singer Kenny Gamble. Many worked in factories and were not given time off to celebrate Juneteenth. It always felt like many of the whites around me would never affirm the racism that occurred. The celebration is also called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or Emancipation Day. And a new cry for that recognition rose a week ago when President Trump announced his plan to resume holding political rallies in Tulsa, Okla. — the site of the deadliest race riot in American history — on Juneteenth. “But we need to make clear these kinds of symbolic gestures are exactly that: symbolic gestures. Why do people celebrate Juneteenth? Last year, Gov. Lee’s grandparents, who were descended from slaves, had 19 children. Her paternal ancestors eventually migrated to what was known as Indian Territory during the late 19th century and owned businesses in Tulsa, Oklahoma—including a hotel, a bank, and a department store, the last of which was burned down during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Every year June 19 is celebrated as Juneteenth. Here’s how to start unlearning its harmful lessons | Elizabeth Wellington, https://temple.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c5FrsxQGT32olZr7lwvURw, With seven killed in 24 hours, Philly confronts a startling rise in homicides, The Wolf administration won’t appeal a state court ruling that tossed victim-rights law overwhelmingly supported by voters, Wildwood towns consider beach tags as crowds — and maintenance costs — keep growing, Pa. not considering a centralized vaccine registration system; Philly to let restaurants expand indoor capacity and plans for start of teacher vaccinations. Children were taught that Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863. “That’s what Juneteenth is about: celebrating freedom each step of the way.”, Photograph by Joe Amon, The Denver Post/Getty, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/06/juneteenth-celebration-hope.html. Even before this year’s protests demanding black lives, and by extension black history, be taken seriously, Juneteenth — the oldest American holiday to commemorate the end of slavery — was creeping into the zeitgeist. Now, we need action.”, © 2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC Terms of Use/Privacy Policy/California Notice California residents do not sell my data request. » READ MORE: ‘We finally have our own holiday.’ Slavery’s end celebrated with Juneteenth Day festivities. But enslaved Americans in Texas didn’t learn they were free until more than two years later after General Robert E. Lee surrendered and the union troops were finally strong enough to enforce the order that slavery in Texas had come to an end. Many of us, however, regardless of our race, still don’t know the significance of Juneteenth. ), “I don’t know if Trump himself personally knew the significance,” Gross said. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- (Sound familiar?) “I am an African-American female who grew up in predominantly white surroundings. In 1968, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Leader the Rev. (This year’s event will implement social distancing and masks to protect participants.) She’s even written a children’s book about Juneteenth, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Here, a Juneteenth celebration in Texas in 1900. Juneteenth has long been observed as a day of Black liberation, commemorating the end of slavery in America. And how everyone else can help them. All rights reserved. “This march just happens to be an extraordinary vision I had,” says Barnhart. Juneteenth remains remarkably relevant in modern America. An annual celebration of June 19 began on the first anniversary of that day, and the day eventually came to be known as Juneteenth a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth”, the date of freedom’s celebration. She recalls legendary photographer Gordon Parks working in her father’s basement darkroom when she about four years old. Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth—a holiday that celebrates the end of legal slavery in the United States. American history lessons generally teach that when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, it ended the Civil … Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers read the Emancipation Proclamation aloud in Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth) – also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day – is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Later that year in December 1865, slavery was formally abolished across the country with the ratification of the 13th … Opal Lee has been campaigning to make Juneteenth a national holiday for years. Juneteenth, a blend of the words "June" and "nineteenth," celebrates the end of enslavement in America. People chanted for Antwon Rose at Pittsburgh’s 2018 Juneteenth parade after the 17-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer. There were also slaves still owned in Indian territory, and some slaveowners relocated to states like Texas hoping to avoid the legislation.