On June 19, 1865, nearly two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered in Appomattox, Virginia, Gordon Granger, a Union general arrived in Galveston, TX to inform African American slaves that they were free, and that the Civil War was over. However, General Granger wasn’t just a little late with this news. In fact, the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the Confederacy more than two years prior to Granger’s arrival in Texas. News traveled slowly and even when slave owners became aware, they intentionally waited until after the harvest to continue to benefit from slave labor although those slaves were now free.
Slaves who were now free on paper were still not physically free. Those who acted without the slave master’s permission did so at their peril. Slaves who left were greeted with terror and violence; some shot with rifles and others hung from a tree. Despite the terror and violence, the newly freed black men and women had a date to celebrate, the end of their enslavement.
In Texas, Juneteenth or Emancipation Day celebrations in the 1900’s consisted of gathering lost family members who had been separated during the slave trade, measuring the progress of freedom, and inculcating racial pride and uplift. Celebrations included reading the Emancipation Proclamation, religious sermons, and the preservation of food and other traditions. Years later, celebrations transformed as a wage against the Jim Crow South. In the 1920’s, the celebrations moved across state lines in cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland, and Seattle.
Juneteenth Today
In 1979, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Today, 45 states plus the District of Columbia have passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday. The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day or July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence. But you can’t celebrate freedom in America by just celebrating the Fourth of July. To the African American community, the Fourth of July is a revelation of the gross injustice and cruelty that African Americans endure daily dating back to June 19, 1865, hence the need for Juneteenth celebrations.
On May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, NY, a white supremacist murdered 10 people and injured three more. The gunman targeted this grocery store specifically because of the large African American presence.
On April 4, 2022, in Grand Rapids, MI, a white police offer shot and killed a black man in the back of the head as he lied face down on the ground.
On May 20, 2022, in Louisville, KY, a white US Marshall shot and killed an unarmed black man following a foot pursuit.
On March 19,2022, in Columbia, SC, a white police officer shot and killed a black man who suffered from mental health issues after his family pleaded with officers.
Both past and present killings by white supremacist of black victims and killings of unarmed black men by white police officers are glaring reminders of this nation’s history of the brutality of enslavement and subsequent racism in the US and beyond. Both instances where black towns were eradicated and intentional discriminatory practices like redlining implemented prompt us to reflect on the prejudiced systems that black and brown bodies must navigate. Changes to election laws resulting in the disenfranchisement of black voters compel us to wake up and pay attention. Each of these instances cries the same resounding call to action: Juneteenth serves as reminder for all Americans, not just the African American community, of the work that lies ahead. One hundred fifty-seven years later, the fabric of our country has endured, yet for some the stitching of hate, police brutality, and systemic racism have left behind a tattered garment.
This Juneteenth, I implore you to learn and recognize this profound day by having an open dialogue with a member of your individual community about the perpetual effect of slavery in the United States. Reversing those effects is a collective responsibility.
- Written by VTLA Diversity & Inclusion Alliance member Brooke Taylor
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