What is Juneteenth, and how is it celebrated?
What is Juneteenth, and how is it celebrated?
Juneteenth is a commemoration of the time in 1865 when enslaved African people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been released, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Jubilee Day are all names for the same day.
Juneteenth has been observed in the African-American community every year since 1865, and it is the oldest African-American festival. However, it was only in 2021 that it was declared a federal holiday in the United States.
Flag of Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a holiday in the United States that commemorates the abolition of slavery. Juneteenth Independence Day is another name for Emancipation Day. The term "Juneteenth" is a combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth," and it refers to the holiday's date.
"On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger led Union troops to Galveston, Texas, to proclaim the war's end and the liberation of all enslaved people. "Juneteenth symbolizes justice and fair treatment for everybody," said Sgt. Maj. Amy Prince of the 407th Army Field Support Battalion, "and it went down in history as Juneteenth." It is a chance to reflect on the country's history and development. As an African American Sergeant Major in the Army, it demonstrates how our military has adapted to and conquered the nation's history's plagues. Juneteenth is significant in our ranks because it demonstrates that regardless of race or origin, we shall all be treated with dignity and respect."
Many people are unfamiliar with Gen. Gordon Granger, yet without him, June 19, 1865, would not have been such a significant date in African American history. On this day, a Union Army officer and his fellow soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
Since 1866, the African-American community has commemorated Juneteenth as a holiday. In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation released all enslaved people in the rebellious Southern states; nevertheless, some areas where the Union Army was not present did not implement it. The order had been in existence in Texas for over three years when Granger, commanding the Union Army in Galveston, finally declared it. Texas was the last part of the fallen Confederacy to learn of the order and have it systematically executed.
"Juneteenth represents fairness and justice for all." It's a good moment to reflect on our country's history and development. As an African American Sergeant Major in the Army, I've seen firsthand how our military has adapted to and overcome the calamities of our country's past. "Juneteenth is significant to our ranks because it demonstrates that regardless of color or origin, we shall all be treated with dignity and respect," Prince explained.
President Joseph R. Biden signed the bill into law on June 17, 2021, establishing Juneteenth the 11th federally recognized holiday. According to the New York Times, President Biden singled out Opal Lee, an activist who walked from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., at the age of 89, and named her "a grandmother of the movement to establish Juneteenth a federal holiday" at a White House event.
"I believe that Juneteenth highlights the fact that, regardless of our differences, everyone deserves to be treated equally. "This holiday underscores that everyone has the freedom to pursue happiness," said Master Sgt. Rebecca J. Walker, 1st Infantry Division medical operations non-commissioned officer. "It's a day to remember to treat others with love and acceptance, as we would like to be treated." It's another step forward in the movement to spread kindness every day, everywhere. What a wonderful world we would live in if we all did this!"
"This will go down, for me, as one of the greatest honors I will have had as President," President Biden said before signing the bill into law. It's a tremendous, tremendous honor."
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