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Family Reunion Institute

CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

How do you plan to Juneteenth this year? Celebrating Juneteenth means finding ways to honor freedom, culture, the past and the future. Juneteenth celebrations include: acknowledging the pain while celebrating the resilience of African American ancestors, attending events near you, church services, civil rights activism, festivities and parades, joining virtual Juneteenth celebrations, 

learning the full history of the holiday, musical performances and concerts, picnics, readings, spreading the word, supporting Black-owned businesses, food, and so much more.


Food has been essential to Juneteenth celebrations. History.com says: Certain foods are customary in Juneteenth celebrations, and traditionally, red foods dominate. The color signifies resilience amid bondage. As Chef Chris Scott who spearheaded the James Beard Foundation’s first Juneteenth celebration in 2018, explains, “the red symbolizes the blood that was shed by Black Africans and Black Americans during slave capture, slave travel, and slave trade here in the States and in the Caribbean.”  He lists watermelon, strawberries, barbeque, and red velvet cake as traditional red foods to include.


On Juneteenth, many reflect on sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and equality. It has been described as a day "when we honor the strength and courage of African Americans and the contributions they have made and continue to make for our country." 


Juneteenth is a blending of the words June and nineteenth. It is the oldest known U.S. celebration of the end of slavery. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the civil war and the end of slavery, even though the Emancipation Proclamation came 2½ years earlier on January 1, 1863. President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, making June 19 a federal holiday. All 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or observance, and at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid and/or legal holiday.


To learn more about Juneteenth you can go to the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Juneteenth webpage (https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth) for info on: The First Juneteenth, Freedom Deferred, Tastes of Resilience, Sounds of Freedom, Juneteenth Today, Reading List, Commemorative Collection, and so much more.

JUNETEENTH FACTS

  • The day's name is a blending of the words June and nineteenth.
  • It commemorates June 19, 1865: the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told slaves of their emancipation. That day came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Even after Lincoln declared all enslaved people free on paper, that hadn't necessarily been the case in practice. 
  • Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day. People across the country celebrate with food and festivities, much like the Fourth of July.
  • All but one state, as well as the District of Columbia, recognize the milestone of Black liberation in some shape or form. For example, some companies honor the occasion by giving their employees the day off.
  • Despite being celebrated since 1865, it wasn't until 1980 that Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday.
  • With Biden’s signature, Juneteenth is the first holiday to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was established in 1983.
  • Juneteenth has often been overlooked by non-Black Americans and omitted from history books. However, momentum to recognize the occasion was generated by the Black Lives Matter movement last      year.
  • Despite certifying Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Black Americans continue to face systematic challenges such as the racial wealth      gap, disproportionate incarceration and persistent health disparities.      Therefore, activists say the holiday shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for substantive action, but a step in the right direction.


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