Juneteenth: Old for Some New for Others An Increasingly Important ... - The Organization for World Peace

While Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, is celebrated annually on the 19th of June, it only became a U.S. federal holiday two years ago when President Biden signed a bill to distinguish Juneteenth as an official federal holiday. The day holds great literal and symbolic significance because it marks the date African Americans across the entire country became free. Although Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, those enslaved in places still under Confederate control were not freed. On 19 June 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, their final stop in their journey across the Confederate states, to proclaim all slaves free by executive order of the United States. Ever since 1865, families and communities have gathered to commemorate the day, creating celebratory traditions such as parades, festivals, and cookouts.

This year, President Biden hosted a concert on the White House grounds to celebrate the holiday with music that also honoured Black Music Month. In the words of the president, the country’s newest federal holiday will ‘breathe a new life in the very essence of America.’ Celebrations of the holiday were once only held in the Texas area but have since spread across the country. Until recently, Juneteenth was also primarily celebrated in African American communities, but the holiday has now reached wider and farther. The growing holiday represents the desire and continual need for recognition of African American history and culture by all people groups. Sociology professor from Emory University Karida Brown encourages everyone to recognise the significance of Juneteenth, particularly challenging those who are not African American to lean into the celebration of a major step forward for the United States as a whole. Brown speaks to all Americans with her words, ‘It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience. … Isn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom.’

‘Juneteenth celebrations are a chance for this country, for the United States to rethink not only its origins, but the relationship of everybody who lives in this country to each other,’ said Greg Carr, associate professor of Africana Studies at Howard University. Carr continues, ‘In many ways, Juneteenth symbolically becomes a litmus test for the possibilities of this country.’ As of this year, 28 states recognise Juneteenth as a public holiday. Michigan’s Juneteenth measure was passed last week, just in time for the holiday. Michigan State Representative Helena Scott, explained, ‘Slavery really is a stain on our society…So I think by acknowledging this, recognising it and really learning about it, that’s the whole point of celebrating June 19th.’

Unfortunately, the holiday does not come without contentions, and this year’s Juneteenth celebrations were met with a few instances of verbal and physical violence. Although this violence must be address and condemned, the overwhelmingly peaceful and celebratory holiday must not be defined by these rare cases of violence. June 19th, 1865, was the beginning of a long journey that is still underway. The holiday is an opportunity to reflect on the past, to better understand the present, and to look towards the future with hope and a visionary mindset. The holiday is not celebrated on the date the Emancipation Proclamation was instigated but on the day enslaved Americans were truly free. Juneteenth acts as a reminder that the United States cannot be content with the progress it has made but needs to work with diligence and intentionality towards equality in all aspects of society.

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