Like many, I did not grow up celebrating Juneteenth. I knew it existed but June 19 was largely a day that came and went. Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday (at least for now), I will use the day for some reflection and to learn more about this holiday that represents not just Black American history, but American history more broadly.
Juneteenth, most commonly celebrated on June 19 (although some are extending the celebration into the weekend), commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the United States. June 19 marks the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and declared that enslaved people were free under the Emancipation Proclamation. If we may recall, the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order (not a law) mandated by President Abraham Lincoln. The holiday of Juneteenth has historically been a significant event for Black Americans, particularly in Texas and the U.S. south, because it represented both the end of slavery and a moment of liberation.
What makes this holiday so significant is that the announcement and recognition of freedom was more than two years after the proclamation was initially issued, marking the end of slavery in the state. The holiday is also known to some as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. When we really focus on the atrocities that happened on American soil, it is sometimes hard to fully comprehend. The bondage; the rapes; the lack of access to proper food, housing, books, and even family. The idea that certain people — Black people — were subhuman and not deserving of some of the basic necessities of life. And yet, somehow, Black people survived and thrived under cruel conditions we can barely fathom.
Juneteenth is so important because it is an American holiday, not just a Black American holiday. It is an acknowledgment of the dark past of this nation. It is an honest and unsanitized version of America that must be told for us to collectively never repeat these atrocities to any other group on this land (and ideally not abroad, either). If you deny people an honest telling of their history, both Black and non-Black, how will they know the trials and tribulations they have overcome, individually and collectively?
We are in a moment where so many people in power are afraid of the honest telling of this nation’s past. Chattel slavery occurred, and banning books and portraits and plaques will never erase what we know. It is incumbent upon us to keep educating ourselves and our communities about the full story of America, not jut a quick version that includes MLK and Rosa Parks. We must be the keepers and defenders of our truths and our stories.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.