5 Quick Facts About Juneteenth
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1. What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
In the video below, students of Oakwood University perform the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. The song was written many years after the emancipation proclamation. It is “a song about transcending difficulties“.
“Black communities across the globe continue to be vulnerable in very unique and unsettling ways,” [Shana] Redmond says. “To sing this song is to revive that past — but also to recognize, as the lyrics of the song reveal, that there is a hopeful future that might come of it.” (Source: NPR.ORG)
2. When is Juneteenth celebrated?
Juneteenth is celebrated during the month of June. The anniversary is typically commemorated through events such as festivals, banquets, barbecues, lectures, film screenings, and parades.
On June 19th, 2020, Google remembered Juneteenth with a Google Doodle on its homepage.
3. Why is it called Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is short for June nineteenth.
4. Where did Juneteenth originate from?
Juneteenth was first celebrated in Texas.
On June 19, 1865, a regiment of Union soldiers informed the residents of Galveston (Texas) that all former slaves were free. That was more than 2 years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation!
June 19th became a day of celebration in Texas. African American families celebrated the day with church services, concerts, pageants, and barbecues, etc.
5. Is Juneteenth a national holiday in the US?
In 1980, June 19th became a legal state holiday in Texas. It was declared “Emancipation Day”. Over the years, the celebration has spread to other states. As of June 2020, Juneteenth is not yet an official holiday in the United States, except in Texas.
June 2, 2023 Update
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S. 475, creating a federal holiday to commemorate Juneteenth.
