Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth!

What is Juneteenth, you may ask? Well, Juneteenth is a portmanteau of "June Nineteenth". The purpose is to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

"But wait!" You may ask yourself? "Didn't slavery end in 1863 thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation"? Well, sort of. You see, said Proclamation did play a major role in the end of slavery in the United States. However, the Proclamation only applied to states that were in the Confederacy. As a result, slavery was still legal in states that never seceded from the Union. It would not be until the 13th Amendment's ratification in 1865 that slavery was truly ended in the US.

So, what does that have to do with Juneteenth? Well, on this date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger ordered that the Proclamation be enforced in Texas. Often celebrated on the third Saturday in June, the day is celebrated with cookouts, family get-togethers, and education of African-American culture. Early celebrations were held at churches due to African-Americans being barred from public facilities.

Over the 20th century, celebrations would decline due to the instatement of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. African-Americans could still continue to celebrate in Texas. In the late 1970s, Texas would be the first state to enshrine Juneteenth as a state holiday. Juneteenth celebrations would make a comeback in the 1980s. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden would sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it a federal holiday, the first new since Martin Luther King Day in 1986.

If you want to learn more about this holiday, you can read about it here and here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!