Juneteenth: Freedom At Last

With the Nation's attention on COVID 19, race relations, and the proper role of police, many are hearing for the first time of a relatively obscure event in our history known as Juneteenth.
While not a National Holiday, the day is of celebration throughout the Nation. Indeed, many large corporations, inclduing Target and small businesses have declared the day a holiday or day of observance for their employees.

Nevertheless, you ask, "What is Juneteenth?"

Juneteenth is the day when slaves in the last area in the South where slavery existed learned of their freedom.. It is a day that celebrates the end of slavery. Sometimes known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day in marks the day that Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865, and announced the end of the Civil War and slavery in Texas. (About six months later, the U.S. abolished slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment.)

Granger had brought word of liberation nearly 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, which freed slaves in Texas on January 1, 1863. (Note: Granger was an advocate for full civil rights for former slaves. Just seven weeks after his arrival, he was relieved of command by Democrat President Andrew Johnson.)

Juneteenth is a holiday meant to celebrate the word of the emancipation of over 4 million slaves with freedom finally coming to the enslaved people in Galveston. It is a day that also reminds us of the cost of freedom. It reminds us of the need to honor the words of our Declaration of Independence that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'

You see, Juneteenth is not just an African-American or black holiday – it is an American holiday. One that offers hope and creates new bonds of friendship and understanding. Juneteenth brightens our future while understanding our past.

Juneteenth represents an opportunity to celebrate freedom, acknowledge, and address the issues, past, and present that influence our society. Together we can ensure that all Americans have genuine opportunities to reach their full potential as part of the "American Dream."

As we move forward this summer, let us remember and live up to our pledge of allegiance, that we are "one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."