Not many days in the lineage of American history carry more significance for Black Americans than Juneteenth. It is the oldest nationally celebrated day of memorial that signified the end of slavery. The ancestors call it “Freedom Day.” And yet, this day falls behind so many others in celebrating Black freedom. First, because the framers of history have glamorized other days and one month to signify our progress, and second, because we, as a whole, have not made a concerted political effort to commemorate this day to carry the reverence that it deserves.
Years ago, while participating in a Black History Month program at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, I asked several students did they know “what is Juneteenth?” and the meaning of the day. The majority of the students had no clue. As I began to tell them that on June 19, 1865, more than 250,000 enslaved Blacks in Galveston were finally told they were free, most of the students were surprised to hear this story. Even more surprised that the same city they were residing in had such historical bearing. Questions followed about Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, and then many students inquired about why they were never taught about Juneteenth until that day.
Once I answered their questions, the acknowledgment of Lincoln arose again. Most students thought that once the Executive Order known as the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, slavery was over. Others understood that ending slavery in its entirety called for the ratification of the 13th amendment. I explained to them that while Lincoln is praised for this action, he intended to maintain societal order, and free Black Americans were still to face forms of structural control.
Lincoln stated on September 18, 1858, during a campaign speech while running against Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois for a U.S. Senate seat, “[T]here is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality…there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” White America’s enduring fascination with making Lincoln the White savior for the Black race has given him an undeserving prominence.
Only a few students in this Black History Month program comprehended that June 19, 1865, not January 1, 1863, marked our freedom. Our physical freedom came on that day when Major General Gordon Granger reached Galveston to report to enslaved Black Americans that the Civil War had ended, and they were finally free. Granger’s message (General Order No. 3) noted, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
I told the students that they were not informed about Juneteenth in part because it was not a federal holiday like that of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. White America is particular about the surrendering of a day to Black Americans to designate as a holiday. MLK day took nearly 20 years to become a federal holiday after the late Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced the bill in Congress.
I am in favor of the opinion that recognizing Juneteenth would have positive implications for us, like the idea of young Black people seeking mental and physical freedom congruent with the Black Freedom Movement and bolstering their level of Black consciousness.
William T. Hoston, Ph.D.
In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and how it sparked White guilt and sympathetic forms of reparation, the time has come to ask for Juneteenth to be documented as a federal holiday. As Black Americans hang in the balance between a global pandemic and the continuation of police brutality against Black bodies, such legislative action by members of Congress and a wet-signature from ‘45’ would be appropriate in our continued fight against structural racism and discrimination in this country.
Recognizing and teaching Juneteenth to the next generation of Black Americans is necessary. Celebrating this day as a federal holiday is long overdue in a country that has forever treated us as second-class citizens.
William T. Hoston, Ph.D., serves as an Interim Associate Dean in the Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Director of the Mellon Center for Faculty Excellence, and Professor of Political Science at Prairie View A&M University.