WASHINGTON — Because it fell on a Sunday, Juneteenth was observed as a federal holiday on Monday. Unlike last year, when legislation establishing the holiday was signed just before June 19, there was ample time to plan celebrations this year. While the federal recognition is new, the date has deep roots in Texas, where it has been celebrated for decades.

What You Need To Know

  • Juneteenth, which just became a federal holiday last year, fell on Sunday but was observed on Monday this year

  • The holiday marks when Black people in Galveston were informed of their freedom from slavery, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, in 1865

  • Texas politicians in Congress spoke of the importance of Juneteenth. Rep. Al Green called it "a holiday for all people." Texas Sen. John Cornyn wrote that "it’s critical that we preserve and share our history so generations of Americans understand how much progress we’ve made in the fight for equality"

  • Green further said that Juneteenth should serve as a springboard to address contemporary racial inequalities 

 

“We want all of America to go on record as acknowledging what happened. This is the equivalent of the Fourth of July for African Americans,” Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, told Spectrum News.

On June 19, 1865, Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger traveled to Galveston to announce that enslaved Black people were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Granger issued what is known as “General Order No. 3,” which said that “the people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.”

Green said he believes all people, no matter their race, should learn about that history.

“Juneteenth is not just for people of color, not just for Black people. It's a holiday for all people. And just as I celebrate the Fourth of July, the independence of this country, we ought to celebrate the independence, the freedom, if you will, of persons from bondage,” Green said. “People of good will understand that the rights that are given to people are given not by virtue of other human beings, but by virtue of one simply being born.”

Texas native Opal Lee was key in the movement to get Juneteenth federally recognized. She spent years walking from Fort Worth to Washington. The now 95-year-old led a 2-and-a-half-mile walk this past weekend to commemorate how long it took to inform slaves in Texas after emancipation.

Lee joined President Joe Biden at the White House last year when he signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The signing was just two days after the Senate unanimously passed the bill. In 2022 now, most federal agencies, banks and schools were closed. For some Texas lawmakers, this helps to raise awareness.

In a Houston Chronicle editorial, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote, “The past informs the present, and it’s critical that we preserve and share our history so generations of Americans understand how much progress we’ve made in the fight for equality, and how far we still have to go.”

Richard Reddick, the associate dean for Equity, Community Engagement and Outreach in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, said that how we celebrate Juneteenth is critical.

“If you think about what Juneteenth is actually about, it’s about a moment of reckoning, of understanding and grappling with the past,” Reddick said. “So to have Juneteenth as a holiday is one thing, but if no one knows why it’s being commemorated, then we are kind of back to square one. So it’s essential it becomes a day of learning and education.”

Juneteenth’s national recognition comes amid a conservative backlash in Texas against what can be taught in the classroom, including topics like race. Reddick said that learning about history, even when it can be uncomfortable, is what Juneteenth is all about.

“Democracies thrive when we are actually able to engage in honest discussions of our past, present and future,” he said. “If we shy away from difficult parts of our history, we are not served well by that. [To assess] what our progress has been, our assessment has to be an honest reflection.”

For some Texas Democrats, there is still work that needs to be done to address racial inequities.

“I’m going to be appreciative and I'm going to be celebrating. But I'm also going to remind people that we still are in the process of fulfilling Abraham Lincoln's General Order No. 3,” Green said.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, said she believes it is important for people to know their roots and understand what it took to get to where the country is today.

“Bringing people of color here under slavery will linger for a long time to come. But it's come a long ways,” she said. “Working together and understanding our origins and understanding that all of us really want the same thing, and that's freedom and opportunity and equality, it makes for a better nation.” 

A celebration of emancipation 157 years ago that still resonates today.