What is Juneteenth?

Simply put, Juneteenth is the most famous commemoration of freedom from slavery in the United States celebrated on June 19, 1865. Originally, the American President (Abraham Lincoln) declared the emancipation of slaves in the United States on the first of January in 1863, yet the United States wasn’t free of slavery until the 19th of June, 2 years and a half following the announcement. The reason for that was the little impact the emancipation of slaves had in Texas was, due to the minimum number of Union forces to carry out the new executive order after the end of the American Civil War, along with Texas being the most distant of the slave states. Thus, the enforcement there had been slow and inconsistent. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to defeat and overcome the resistance, and the United States was completely free of slavery.

One of General Granger's first orders of work was to read General Order No. 3 to the people of Texas, which started with:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labourer."

Consequently, the reactions to the news ranged from shock to instant delight. Even with no place to go, many have seen that leaving the farm will be their first step towards freedom. The north was a logical destination that represented freedom to them, whereas some of them headed to Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma to reunite with family members. Juneteenth was a time to reassure one another, pray and gather the remaining family members, as it continued being highly honoured in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston, Texas on the same date.

How can we celebrate?

Educating ourselves is the first step towards change, where unlearning all the misconceptions we knew before is a necessity to learn more about the truths. Not only is learning crucial, but also amplifying black voices and providing safe spaces for them to share their stories and everything they’ve gone through. Besides all that, being an ally, advocating for them and showing support is also essential to make a real change.