Unless you’ve been living in a bunker the last four years (which…is honestly understandable), you’ve probably heard of Juneteenth.
But…do you actually know what Juneteenth is?
If not – THAT’S OKAY!!! Complete transparency, I didn’t know what it was either until I was an adult – and I’m Black. Juneteenth is a holiday that is deeply deeply rooted to the the end of slavery originating in the American South before spreading north to the Midwest during the “Great Migration.” If none of that starting to ring any bells, that’s STILL okay! Let me start from the beginning – I promise you the history of Juneteenth is the story of the summer.
Chapter 1: “Do as I say, not as I do” – Abraham Lincoln
The South lost the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was president at the time, tasked with reconnecting a literal divided nation that killed an estimated of 620,000 to 750,000 Americans – more than any other war and more than BOTH World Wars combined. Soo…yeah, Lincoln trying to bridge that gap was the political equivalent of asking a mouse to move a mountain.
To the moon.
One of Lincoln’s steps forward was the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s “fine, I guess y’all can be free… but only where I say so” decree. Let’s get one thing clear, Lincoln did not actually care about equality, or even the bare minimum of ending slavery. The Emancipation did not end slavery in America, it only demanded that all slaves in rebelling Confederate states be freed. Slaves in Union states? Still enslaved. Slaves in border states that didn’t fight against the Union? Still enslaved.
The proclamation was mostly a wartime flex to weaken the Confederacy economically and socially, not some grand moral awakening by the Union, who also relied on enslaved workers in the South. In Lincoln’s own words, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it.”
They didn’t call him Honest Abe for nothing.
Chapter 2: Bitter Bettys and Petty Peters
As you can imagine…the South did not appreciate the gesture. Nor the hypocrisy.
Slaveowners across the Confederate states were dragging their FEEET with the Emancipation Proclamation, especially since they wanted to at least get one more harvest season done before reluctantly freeing their slaves. However, no one was dragging their feet more than Texas – and the feet are way bigger in Texas.
In fact, after two whole years of Texas slaveowners dodging the Emanci Proclamanci, Union General Gordon Granger finally rolled into Galveston and officially told the enslaved folks that they were free. I mean, I wasn’t there personally, but I think the quote was something like “stop working on this plantation for free and get a job-job so the Union can tax you without representation.”
The date of that event: June 19, 1865.
Again, there were still enslaved African-Americans in the nation, especially in the North and border states, as well as on certain Native American communities and white slaveowners who were REALLY good at hiding in the woods, but the Galveston enforcement ensured that nearly 250,000 enslaved people in Texas (and the vast majority of those in the South as a whole) were freed. There was also the pesky caveat that freed Black people who didn’t pay their taxes or were accused of petty crimes could be re-enslaved…but…it was a start. Hope is enough cause for celebration.
One year later on June 19th, 1866, the first Juneteenth – or rather Emancipation Day as it was called then – was celebrated by a procession of an estimated 800-1000 freed men, women, and children of Galveston that included singing, scripture reading, motivational speakers, dancing, and of course – food. The event only got bigger and bigger every year. White newspapers at the time even referred to the annual celebration as Black people’s “4th of July,.”
And honestly…the tagline stuck.
uneteenth Commemorations at the 1859 Ashton Villa, Galveston Historical Foundation
Chapter 3: To the windowsssss…..to the Midwest?
Slavery for Black folks in the South ended (on paper), but it was a battleground, and not always figuratively. Jim Crow and violent segregation laws made life as a Black person horrific, let alone trying to advance themselves and future generations. So when the (second) Industrial Revolution rolled around and the North saw a massive expansion of factories in cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, Black Americans in the South were eager to answer the demand for more workers.
This mass movement of Black Americans (approximately 6 million!) to Northern and more Western states was known as “The Great Migration.” One thing they took with them? Juneteenth celebrations.
Sure, freedom for Black people in America wasn’t
That’s why even to this day, cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and other metropolis areas of the Midwest have some of the largest Juneteenth celebrations the country with city-wide parades, music and food festivals, and financial scholarships and grants to the community. Today the nineteenth of June is celebrated in more than 200 cities throughout the United States. What started as a Texas revolution spread into a nationwide reminder that Black people were HERE, and they wouldn’t be silenced.
Chapter 4: Do we REALLY need Juneteenth paper plates at Walmart??
Now the story brings us to 2025. While there has been some roll-back of “DEI initiatives” by cowardly corporations desperate for a tax break, now that Juneteenth is a National Holiday, the celebration that was once only acknowledged within the close-knit Black community is now thrown into the mainstream.
If anyone from these big corporations is reading this – PLEASE, no more Juneteenth-themed merch and half hearted sales. It’s unnecessary and honestly people aren’t really shopping in this looming recession anyway.
For everyone else, how can we collectively celebrate Juneteenth the PROPER way that upholds the tradition this holiday represents? Well first, look up if your city or one nearby hosts a Juneteenth celebration. They are a BALL and you’re sure to eat some great food, dance up a storm, and meet some new friends. Second, it’s a good reminder to educate yourself and your people.
In fact, by reading this article, you’re already doing that!
Lastly, take with you the mindset that Juneteenth isn’t just one day. Sure, it’s an annual event, but you should be supporting your Black neighbors and advocating for equality every day. Juneteenth is a day of defiance, remembrance, and unapologetic Black joy.