Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the end of slavery. It is celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when as the American Civil War was ending, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, declaring “all slaves are free.” That day celebrations broke out among the black community - giving life to the longest running African American holiday in the United States.
From the first official celebrations in 1866 to now, the holiday has been celebrated in a variety of different ways. Originally, people would play baseball, go out fishing, and take part in rodeo. Many would enjoy large family meals in elegant clothing and attend community church services. Some formerly enslaved peoples were also known to take pilgrimages to Galveston, the place in Texas where federal troops went to take control of the state and ensure the release of all enslaves peoples.
However, in the early 20th century there was a great decline in Juneteenth celebrations. This was primarily attributed to the growth of the Civil Rights Movement, which saw many African Americans shift their focus to expanding their freedom and bettering their integration into society. One of the causes of this movement was the rise in segregation; ‘a practice of requiring separate housing, education, and other services for people of colour’. (Many believed that black and white people were incapable of coexisting, which led to blacks Being treated as second-class citizens with worse facilities and services available to them.)
In addition, the Great Depression lessened Juneteenth celebrations. During this period, many black people were forced to leave their farms to find more lucrative work in cities. As I mentioned before, Juneteenth is a celebration centred around community, therefore moving away from home means one can no longer celebrate in the traditional way. As a result, those who wanted to celebrate attended bigger group gatherings. One example was the Texas State fair, which was attended by many from 1936 to 1951. In 1936, it was estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 people joined the days’ festivities.
In the 1960s, there was a revival! The holiday was growing to something which was before celebrated primarily in the southern states, to something celebrated across the country. Two decades later, there were major celebrations in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, and Washington DC. In the final two places, there were also campaigns held by organisations to popularise June 19 as a holiday.
As the 1990s rolled around, pop culture took Juneteenth by storm. There were several museum exhibitions showcasing the celebration and flags made to represent the holiday. The flag was first hoisted at the Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston, by its creator Ben Haith. By the 2000’s, Juneteenth had gained awareness in mainstream media. References of the holiday were made in TV programmes such as Atlanta (2016) and Black-ish (2017). As its recognition grew, many corporations and universities began acknowledging Juneteenth as a holiday. Google and Apple also added it to their respective calendars.
Finally, on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth was made a federal holiday by Joe Biden. The activist Opal Lee, often referred to as the “grandmother of Juneteenth”, was largely responsible for this change in legislature, which was quite frankly, a long time coming.
Juneteenth is a celebration which encapsulates what community spirit is all about. Nowadays, communities will celebrate with picnics, street fairs, and cookouts. Soul food (the ethnic cuisine of African Americans) and Barbecue are the two most popular cuisines, with red velvet cake and other red confectioneries also eaten as the red colouring symbolises resilience and joy. The celebration is happy one – honouring those who spent their lives fighting, so African Americans could have the rights they hold today.
