Know All About The Juneteenth Day

Know All About The Juneteenth Day

Juneteenth pinpoints the day that the last slaves in Texas and more broadly the Confederate South were freed on June 19, 1865. More than 45 states have passed legislation and resolutions commemorating the day, with the most recent resolution passing in Montana in 2017, according to the Federal American Scientists.

In cities across the country, parades, festivals and consortiums on black culture have been established over the years to shed light on the day. However, the holiday has not been designated as a federal holiday, which would make it a paid holiday for many American workers.

Juneteenth Day Celebrations

Juneteenth, the date commemorating when Black slaves in Galveston, Texas were liberated by the Union Army and marking the official end of slavery in the United States, is observed in every borough of the city; both with revelry and activism.

Festivities usually begin with the Juneteenth Committee of Masjid Malcolm Shabazz and The Martin Luther King Jr. Center New York Support Group. The parades begins on the 116th Street between Lenox and Fifth avenues, proceeds along Frederick Douglass Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and then finished at the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Mosque.

Activist groups engage the day’s spirit of emancipation by challenging modern issues of bondage and internment. The grassroots organization Citizen Action of New York last year coordinated a protest in Foley Square calling for criminal justice reform in New York State. The protest centered on the state’s bail system, which experts and public defenders argue often incentivizes judges to set unaffordable bail for defendants, a penalty that disproportionately harms the poor and minorities.

The activists called out the “guilty until proven innocent” nature of the policies and demanded a “complete overhaul of bail, discovery and speedy trial laws,” in New York State. Numerous groups, including the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, Bronx Freedom Fund and Justice Leadership USA, were also in attendance.

Elsewhere, Juneteenth is commemorated with music and discourse. Hosted in the Riverside Church, the fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration in the city is a blend of social advocacy and song. It was on the 153rd anniversary of American slavery’s end and also the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The theme of the night was “The Fierce Urgency for Justice Now,” with organizers encouraging those present to help ensure justice “for all God’s children.”

After special remarks by the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, the celebration featured musical performances by Cyrus Chestnut, Wycliffe Gordon and others. Actors and activists Harry and Gina Belafonte, change advocate Dr. Gail Christopher, community organizer Cristina Jiménez and youth leaders from the #NeverAgain anti-gun violence movement were all recognized as “Spirit Alive” honourees.

Others use Juneteenth as a moment to reflect spiritually and emotionally on the community and legacies built since emancipation. An event entitled “Celebrating Our Many Accomplishments” was hosted at the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Centre.

Why the day matters so much?

This event happened two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but Lincoln’s freeing of the slaves was only on paper, and the ongoing Civil War prevented freedom from becoming a reality as many plantation owners withheld the news.

Juneteenth marked a turning point in the fight to free fellow humans from the bonds of slavery, and African Americans in Texas celebrated it as a day of freedom. There were other options for an official holiday marking the end of slavery, including September 22, which was the day in 1862 when Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation Order on January 31, the date the 13th Amendment passed Congress in 1865 and officially abolished the institution of slavery. However, it was Juneteenth that stuck.

Early-Juneteenth

In the early years, little interest existed outside the African American community in participation in the celebrations. In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of the public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding, and barbecues. Often church grounds were the site for such activities. Eventually, as African Americans became landowners, the land was donated and dedicated to these festivities.

One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and made possible the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas. In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898. There are accounts of Juneteenth activities being interrupted and halted by white landowners demanding that their laborers return to work.

However, it seems most allowed their workers the day off and some even made donations of food and money. For decades these annual celebrations flourished, growing continuously with each passing year. In Booker T. Washington Park, as many as 20,000 African Americans once attended during the course of a week, making the celebration one of the state’s largest.

The Resurgence of the Day:

The Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960’s, who wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through the Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C. Rev. Ralph Abernathy’s call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels, and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent from such activities. In fact, two of the largest Juneteenth celebrations founded after this March are now held in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The Modern Day - Juneteenth

Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centred activities. In recent years, a number of local and national Juneteenth organizations have arisen to take their place alongside older organizations - all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.

Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.

The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us.

Though not rooted in the Indian history, this festival concerns us too, for who would know better about the eternal feeling of independence and freedom more!