Juneteenth

Festival Location: All Areas, USA

Festival State: Festivals

Festival Type(s): Cultural Festivals, Multicultural Festivals, Historical Festivals

Juneteenth!

By: © Meg Greene Malvasi 2009

On the morning of June 19, 1865, the residents of Galveston, Texas awoke to discover the streets filled with soldiers wearing blue uniforms. The Union Army had arrived in force. A crowd quickly gathered as men and women, blacks and whites, rushed from their homes to learn what was happening. When Major General Gordon Granger rose and called for silence, black and white faces looked up at him questioningly. Granger then read General Order #3. "The people of Texas," he began in a loud voice so that all could hear, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive [President] of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property. . . ." The Civil War was over. The Union had been saved. The slaves at last had won their liberty.

The blacks in Galveston had never heard of the Emancipation Proclamation, which Abraham Lincoln had issued in 1862. The Emancipation Proclamation declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves living in states still in rebellion were "then, thenceforward, and forever free." Various folk legends passed down from generation to generation of African-Americans attempted to explain why the slaves in Texas had never heard of the Emancipation Proclamation. One story told of a messenger murdered on his way to deliver the news. Another suggested that the masters withheld the information in order to maintain their work force on the plantations or that federal troops waited until the slaves had harvested the cotton before revealing that they were free. The fact remains, however, that without the presence of Union troops to enforce the Proclamation, it would have had little impact on the lives of the slaves even should they have known of it.

When blacks did at last learn of their freedom after nearly two-and-one-half centuries of bondage, their reactions ranged from shock to disbelief to jubilation. Many immediately left the plantations on which they had been enslaved to make new lives for themselves and their families. At the same time, though, they realized that it was important to remember that June 19th, was a special day of celebration and thanksgiving-the day when they learned that they were free men and women.

An African-American holiday, known as "Juneteenth," soon grew from the efforts of former slaves to mark the moment of their emancipation. African Americans began celebrating "Juneteenth" as early as 1866. It was especially popular in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, California and, of course, Texas. The festivities offered African-American communities an opportunity to join together to reflect, remember, and rejoice.

In many ways, Juneteenth celebrations resembled the traditional commemoration of the Fourth of July. The day usually began with a prayer service, followed by speeches filled with messages of inspiration, hope, and encouragement. There would always be a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation and testimonies, or the telling of life stories, by former slaves. Underlying the revelry and merriment were serious messages about the importance of education, self-reliance, and self-improvement.

As with any celebration, though, many of the favorite activities of "Juneteenth" revolved around eating and drinking. The focus of many "Juneteenth" celebrations was the barbeque pit, where a lamb, a pork, or beef were being roasted to perfection. Tables were set with all kinds of delicious foods, many of which were luxuries among the poor, black population of the rural South. To quench the thirst, there was plenty of strawberry, or red, soda, the traditional drink of Juneteenth. Besides catching up on the latest goings on in the community, there were many other activities to fill the day such as rodeos, baseball games, dances, and fishing contests.

In the years immediately following the Civil War, African Americans often met with resistance from the white community to the celebration of Juneteenth. To insure that the tradition of Juneteenth would continue without interruption, many black communities purchased "emancipation grounds" and moved the celebrations to private property where white authorities could not interfere with them. Some of the original sites, such as Emancipation Park in East Austin, Texas and Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia, Texas, are still in use today.

During the Second World War (1941-1945), the number of Juneteenth celebrations declined. With the coming of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, the holiday almost disappeared entirely as African Americans had less desire to recall slavery and devoted more energy to overcoming its legacy. In the 1970s, however, several African-American communities around the United States revived the celebration of Juneteenth. The Texas legislature went so far as to make June 19th an official state holiday in 1980! Today, in communities all across the United States, African Americans once more are coming together to commemorate that special day in June when their ancestors learned they were slaves no more.

Want To Know More?

The best place to find information about Juneteenth, including history and current Juneteenth celebrations, is Juneteenth.com. Or visit the The National Juneteenth Museum for additional information.

This article first appeared on suite101

by Meg Greene Malvasi