We’ve been hearing the term Juneteenth a lot lately as June 19th draws near, but do you know what it celebrates?
I was amazed that although many people have heard the term over the years, not everyone is aware of its significance. I asked a few folks around town and got a variety of answers.
• I think it’s the date that Tulsa, Oklahoma was burnt down.
• Isn’t it the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King?
• It’s a Black American religious holiday.
No, No, and No.
Perhaps this is why we should teach black history in public schools.
Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in 1865 that was first observed in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1866.
Now, 156 years later, it is being recognized as a federal holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden made it official when he signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Back in September 1862, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, which officially outlawed slavery in Texas and other states that fought against the Union, but Texas, Delaware, and Kentucky ignored the law until December 1865.
The proclamation included the stipulation that if the southern states did not honor the law, that it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 1863. When the Confederacy still didn’t comply, Lincoln issued the proclamation one final time on Jan. 1, 1863.
As of 2021, North and South Dakota are the only states that don’t recognize Juneteenth. What do you think they’ll do now that it’s officially a federal holiday.
