Juneteenth: What is it? Why is it important? & What's new in 2021?

InsightsFWD

Jun 17

It's a big week, folks. Juneteenth has officially been declared a federal holiday by the Senate on June 15th, 2021, and as of June 16th the House passed the bill in an overwhelming 415-14 tally. Now, the legislature is headed to President Biden’s desk, hopefully, to be made official by…Juneteenth!

Juneteenth: Freedom Day

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is an annual holiday celebrated on June 19th commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Why is it Important?

While the 4th of July celebrates American independence from Great Britain, Black people were still enslaved until President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863.

This was before Twitter and the Internet, and the news of the Emancipation Proclamation being signed did not reach Black people in the southern states, Texas specifically, for another two and a half years! On June 19th, 1865, Gordon Granger, who had fought for the Union, led a force of soldiers to Galveston, Texas, to deliver a very important message, General Order No. 3: the war was finally over, the Union had won, and the government now had the manpower to enforce the end of slavery.

"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 laborer," General Order No. 3 reads, in part.

As of that day, slavery was abolished in Texas, and while not all slave owners complied, the Union won the war, the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and General Order No. 3 being delivered to the last holdout state, on June 19th, 1865 the federal government took a firm stand to say slavery is wrong and it must end.

Texas—the last state to make the end of slavery official, was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.

What’s New in 2021?

“Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past,” says Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “But we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution.”

Work to do? Well, there’s a lot, considering lynching is still not a federal hate crime. But this progress.

Some advocates in Florida are opposing Juneteenth, sharing that May 20th—traditionally celebrated as Emancipation Day in Florida—should be recognized instead, because it coincides with the freeing of slaves in Florida. Officials in Florida have commented about the opportunity to further recognize May 20th, while still engaging in supporting Juneteenth as a national holiday.

States that have established Juneteenth Day as a paid holiday for state employees include Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

As of June 16th, 2021, when Hawaiian Governor David Ige signed the bill recognizing Juneteenth, South Dakota will remain the only state that doesn’t recognize the day as either a state holiday or a day of observance.

So whether or not the bill is officially passed by this Saturday, June 19th, 2021, let’s celebrate.

We’re not free until we’re all free.

Juneteenth: Freedom Day.

Want more info?

Check out our Reactions: Juneteenth 2021 Conversation here.

In this video we talk through: