Why Juneteenth Is Important For All Americans

OCEANSIDE, CA — America was founded on the basis that Freedom is equal for all. But yet for almost 100 years after becoming a country that celebrated Independence, we were still depriving people that were born here their freedom to be citizens.

Juneteenth is an important reminder for all American's that none of us are free until all of us are free. Here are some resources to learn more about the new National Holiday and ways to commemorate Juneteenth:

Remarks by President Biden at Signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

Celebrate Juneteenth In Downtown Oceanside This Saturday

The History of Juneteenth

June 19th, 1865 - The announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army General Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom from slavery in Texas. On that day, 250,000 enslaved people were freed, and despite the message to stay and work for their owners, many left the state immediately and headed north or to nearby states in search of family members who had been taken to other regions during slavery.

Pres. Lincoln’s 1862 Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery in the Southern states that rebelled during the U.S. Civil War. But, enforcing the order was done mainly from the advancement of Union Troops. Texas, being by far the most remote slave state and had the lowest amount of Union Troop presence, enforcement was slowed to a crawl.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation declared an end to slavery in the Confederate States, it was still legal and practiced in three Union border states (Delaware, Maryland and Kentucky) until the end of 1865, when ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished chattel slavery nationwide in December. Additionally, Indian Territories that had sided with the Confederacy, namely the Choctaw, were the last to release those enslaved, in 1866.

Some of the earliest celebrations began in 1866. Most were church and community centered gatherings. It soon spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival.

In the late 1970s when the Texas Legislature declared Juneteenth a "holiday of significance [...] particularly to the blacks of Texas," it became the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday. The bill passed through the Texas Legislature in 1979 and was officially made a state holiday on January 1, 1980. In the late 1980s, there were major celebrations of Juneteenth in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.

In 1996, the first legislation to recognize "Juneteenth Independence Day" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J. Res. 195, sponsored by Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI).

The holiday is considered the "longest-running African-American holiday" and has been called "America's second Independence Day".

Juneteenth celebrations often include lectures and exhibitions on African-American culture. The modern holiday places much emphasis upon teaching about African-American heritage. Karen M. Thomas wrote in Emerge that "community leaders have latched on to Juneteenth to help instill a sense of heritage and pride in black youth." Celebrations are commonly accompanied by voter registration efforts, the performing of plays, and retelling stories. The holiday is also a celebration of soul food and other food with African-American influences.

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