Just what is Juneteenth?

Just what is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is the commemorative celebration of the belated announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas. It is a family reunion of African descendants. It is a Jubilee celebration of rejoice for answered prayer. It is the reconciliation of a people. It is the official cessation of man’s ability to enslave and oppress another.

Back on June 19th 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas (after the confederate surrender at Appomattox) with the astonishing news that the civil war had ended, setting the slaves free. Now, this event took place a full two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation address on September 22, 1862. The Emancipation became a government mandate effective January 1, 1863. This edict did not have any immediate effect as the confederacy had denounced it.

On the same day that the Emancipation Proclamation took effect (January 1, 1863), the Battle of Galveston was being waged. Rebel forces attacked and expelled occupying union forces. There had been a union blockade in Galveston bay. A series of missteps caused the union forces to retreat back to New Orleans, which was, by that time, under union control.

The American Civil War had been devastating. The nation’s economy and its very future were at stake. There were more deaths as a result of the American Civil War than from the American casualties from World War I, World War II, The Korean conflict and the Viet Nam war combined.

When the Major General Gordon Granger imparted the belated news to the now, former slaves, they were advised to remain at their current locations and to work for wages under their former masters. They were also admonished to not give in to idleness. Many former slaves took their new found freedom and fled to other regions and states to seek out long lost relatives.

The June 19th announcement prompted a series of celebrations as news spread to plantations throughout Texas. The former slaves celebrated this day, Juneteenth (June 19th) like other Americans celebrated the Fourth of July. They felt that the American Declaration of Independence was not relevant to them and the Emancipation Proclamation was born out of President Lincoln’s initial desire to preserve the union. The abolition of slavery was secondary.

Early freedom festivities would be assigned by authorities to an obscure place often on the outskirts of town. This prompted African Americans to collect finds and start buying public land for their Juneteenth celebrations. Today some of these sites are known as Rosewood Park in Austin, Texas; Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia, Texas; and Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas.

Early on, the various celebrations were jubilant and festive. The former slaves celebrated their new found freedom by dressing up for the occasion. There were outdoor, church centered festivities, parades, food, family gatherings and speeches.

The Juneteenth holiday evolved to include educating the black populace about their civil rights, including their right to vote, to hold office and to advance politically.

Families that migrated to other states brought their Juneteenth traditions along with them, thus, today there are commemorative celebrations in many cities throughout the U.S. In the state of Texas where it all began, Juneteenth is an official state holiday. Today, there are festivities throughout the nation; in most states with emphasis on education, reflection, inspiration, progress, corporate diversity and a global emphasis on freedom for all.