Copyright © Françoise HerrmannJuneteenth is the day to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, and to celebrate Black American culture. Juneteenth, short for “June nineteenth", has been celebrated since June 19, 1865, when Federal Troops marched into Galveston, Texas, to free slaves—two and half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, effective on January 1, 1863. Juneteenth is thus the oldest Black American celebration. (Staff Gov. Info)
As a reminder, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation stated:
On the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom. (National Archives: Emacipation Proclamation)
On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed into law the
Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S. 475, completing the Congressional process designed to approve the first
Juneteenth national holiday, since
Martin Luther King Day passed in 1983. Upon ratification and celebration of the first Federal
Juneteenth, in 2021, President Biden proclaimed:
On Juneteenth, we recommit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice. And, we celebrate the centuries of struggle, courage, and hope that have brought us to this time of progress and possibility. That work has been led throughout our history by abolitionists and educators, civil rights advocates and lawyers, courageous activists and trade unionists, public officials, and everyday Americans who have helped make real the ideals of our founding documents for all. (Biden, 2021)
Thus, 2022 marks the second year of Juneteenth celebrations across the United States. In 2022 also, since Juneteenth falls on a Sunday, the Federal Holiday is celebrated on June 20, 2022. At the end of the day, the Federal Juneteenth holiday rights a wrong, recognizing Black American history, finally making it possible for Black Americans to celebrate Independence Day, since on July 4, 1776, Black American ancestors were enslaved, regardless of separation from Great Britain.
References
Biden, J. (June 18, 2021). A Proclamation on Juneteenth Day of Observance, 2021.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/18/a-proclamation-on-juneteenth-day-of-observance-2021/
Emancipation Proclamation (National Archives)
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation#:~:text=President%20Abraham%20Lincoln%20issued%20the,and%20henceforward%20shall%20be%20free.%22
Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S. 475
