Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, technically freeing enslaved people in the Confederate states, but enslaved people in Texas weren’t aware of their freedom until the official announcement arrived in Galveston, TX. This is why Juneteenth is so significant. Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer once noted that “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” There were still enslaved people who had not yet received this news of freedom, which means that slavery was not over. 

The end of slavery is cause for national celebration, but the US has yet to designate a day to commemorate the legal freeing of four million enslaved people over 150 years ago. Though not yet designated a national holiday, Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance by most US states. We have to reckon with our history and create dialogue around it, while questioning who dictates what makes history.

This year, as protests against anti-Black violence and police brutality continue across the country, several companies are giving employees a paid day off in observance of Juneteenth. Some state governments have followed suit. Until this week, Texas was the only state to recognize Juneteenth as an official paid holiday for state employees. Since Tuesday, however, the governors of Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania have moved to recognize the holiday for state employees and are proposing to make Juneteenth an official state holiday. 

Juneteenth needs to be a household holiday celebrated in all our homes.

Take action today to learn about, show support for, and take part in Juneteenth. 

This post was originally written by leadership member Charise Johnson in 2019 and updated by Alison Marklein and Jessica Metcalf in 2020. 

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