Juneteenth (a hybrid of June and nineteenth) – also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day – celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States and marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation – signed January 1, 1863. Juneteenth honors the end of chattel slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
Beginning in 1866, celebrations began with church-centered community gatherings in Texas. These celebrations spread across the South and became more commercialized in the early decades of the 20th century, often centering on a food festival. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Juneteeth was eclipsed by the struggle for postwar civil rights but experienced a resurgence in the 1970s with a focus on Black freedom and arts.
Today, Juneteenth was celebrated in most major cities across the United States. Activists are campaigning for the United States Congress to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Modern celebrations can include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” written by James Weldon Johnson, and reading of works by noted African American writers, such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, and Miss Juneteenth contests.
Learn more about Juneteenth.
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