What is Juneteenth and Why It's Important

What is Juneteenth and why is it important?

Upon arriving at Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued the General Order No. 3, an American legal decree enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation, a presidential proclamation issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The original Proclamation changed the legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans.

The order was not read aloud by the Union Army, but it was posted around town, and communicated to most African Americans by slavemasters. News of the original Emancipation Proclamation had reached Texas and been covered in Texas newspapers, but due to the lack of Union military presence, it had not been enforced until June 19, 1865 - two-and-a-half years after the original issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. On that day, approximately 2,000 Union troops led by Major-General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to announce that the Civil War was over and that the 250,000+ enslaved people in Texas were officially free.

According to one account cited by Juneteenth of Buffalo: "On the evening of June 19, 1865, thousands flooded the streets of Galveston, rejoicing in their newly announced freedom. The sweet smell of barbecue smoke filled the air. Dancing feet pounded the dirt roads and harmonic voices sung spirituals. This was the day, Juneteenth, that would forever commemorate African American freedom."

Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States, often broadly celebrating African-American culture within church-centered community gatherings . The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law after the efforts of Lula Briggs Galloway, Opal Lee, and others.

Activist, Opal Lee, with President Biden during the signing of bill, S.475 - Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

[[Page 135 STAT. 287]]

Public Law 117-17
117th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Juneteenth National 
Independence Day as a legal public holiday. <<NOTE: June 17, 2021 -  [S. 
                                 475]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Juneteenth 
National Independence Day Act. 5 USC 101 note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Juneteenth National Independence Day 
Act''.
SEC. 2. JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY AS A LEGAL PUBLIC 
                    HOLIDAY.

    Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to Memorial Day the following:
            ``Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19.''.

    Approved June 17, 2021.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 475:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 167 (2021):
            June 15, considered and passed Senate.
            June 16, considered and passed House.
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2021):
            June 17, Presidential remarks.

                                  <all>

The holiday is considered the longest-running African-American holiday and has been called America's second Independence Day. Juneteenth is usually celebrated on the third Saturday in June. Historian Mitch Kachun considers that celebrations of the end of slavery have three goals: "to celebrate, to educate, and to agitate". Early celebrations consisted of baseball, fishing, and rodeos. African Americans were often prohibited from using public facilities for their celebrations, so they were often held at churches or near water. Celebrations were also characterized by elaborate large meals and people wearing their best clothing. It was common for former slaves and their descendants to make a pilgrimage to Galveston. Juneteenth is the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was declared a holiday in 1986.

Image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To sum everything up, Juneteenth is an important part of American History that has long deserved it's spot alongside American Federal Holidays. It marks a significant event that triggered a domino effect marking the efforts to make Black Americans equal. The holiday represents freedom and while we celebrate it with joy and laughter, it doesn't come without a long and complex history.

Quote by Activist Angela Davis

As June approaches, you'll see more Calendar Events highlighting all the local Juneteenth celebrations in your area. Make you subscribe to get the latest updates in your inbox! Until then, check out this amazing poem by Ben Aragbaye.