Celebrating & Commemorating Juneteenth 2024

 

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration of slavery ending in the United States, recently becoming more well-known and celebrated among Americans after it became a national holiday in 2021. 

Freedom from slavery was a long process and it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that the last enslaved Black people were finally informed of their freedom from their Confederate enslavers in Galveston, Texas. Since then, the observance of June 19th as African-American Emancipation Day, or Freedom Day, has spread across the United States and beyond. You can check out more on the history and legacy of Juneteenth in this interactive website designed by the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Juneteenth is celebrated nationally among Black families and friends with street fairs, parades, and concerts with the most jubilant annual celebrations taking place in Texas, the celebration’s birthplace. The holiday’s southern roots mean barbecues are a necessity and red foods like strawberry soda and red velvet cake are traditionally served as the color is "a symbol of ingenuity and resilience in bondage," according to The New York Times. 

For anyone who isn't Black but would like to recognize Juneteenth, June 19 is a great day to honor and embrace Black culture through its art and history. Check out some of the resources below to learn more and celebrate freedom. But remember that Black culture and contributions should be recognized every day and not just on Juneteenth or during Black History Month. Black history is American history. Always.


Sources: NMAAHC; OprahDaily

Hear from BET members on what Juneteenth means to them:

Britt Walker, Community Experience Specialist

I can't recall when I officially learned about Juneteenth, but I can fully remember when it became an actual Federal Holiday. I was initially shocked yet not at all surprised that it had only now been officiated. But also grateful at the fact that the U.S was acknowledging this crucial point in history with the reverence and respect that we deserve. I was also inspired by Ms. Opal Lee, who spearheaded the whole movement and actualized this change. Sometimes it can become overwhelming and tiring to constantly advocate for ourselves as Black people here in America. But people like Ms. Opal reinforce and reinvigorate my mind with gratitude, reverence and the perseverance we need to keep making strides in the right direction. A reminder that sometimes all it takes is one person to rally for us. I try to keep that in mind with the ways in which I navigate my everyday life. Always aiming to be better, helping others, and representing myself in a way that would make my ancestors and family proud.

Mykayla Kennedy, People Operations Coordinator

As a kid, I didn't know about Juneteenth and its significance. I didn't know that it was a day to celebrate the true end of slavery in the United States. I didn't know that it was a day to remember the struggles and sacrifices of African Americans. Schools only ever taught me that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves- the end. But it wasn't “the end” as I learned when I went off to college and dove deeper into the history of the African American diaspora. Juneteenth is significant to me because it spotlights my ancestors' struggles and celebrates progress, and it's a reminder to recommit ourselves to justice and equality. The pure joy and solidarity I feel when celebrating with my community is unrivaled! The festivities have instilled in me an overwhelming sense of pride in my Black identity. Im black 24/7 and 365 days a year! I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Andrew George, Senior DevOps Engineer

I knew very little of Juneteenth before it became recognized as a federal holiday. At most, it was a parenthetical in a school textbook. Instead, Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation was praised as the watershed moment when it came to the freeing of American slaves.

But history is tricky. While a significant event, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all the slaves; it only freed those in rebelling southern states with the document merely a symbolic gesture to those still enslaved in places far from Union control.

With this perspective, Juneteenth becomes a more significant day; for the first time, America was slavery-free. For me, Juneteenth is a celebration of what we have overcome and how far we have come as a people. This is not just limited to the historical significance of the day itself, but its recent recognition at the federal level. But even in celebration, we remember as a diaspora and as a nation that there is progress still to be made.

Shera White, Workplace Experience Specialist

I'm so glad GumGum is giving this Juneteenth the recognition it deserves. It's a day to celebrate freedom and to honor the strength and resilience of those who fought for it.

When I reflect on slavery, it's deeply painful. It hurts to see images of people who shared my skin color being treated as less than human, subjected to unimaginable cruelty and violence simply because of how they looked.

How I see it - Juneteenth offers a chance to honor the resilience and strength of those who endured slavery, while also acknowledging the ongoing struggles faced by Black communities.

 I feel a profound gratitude every day for the ancestors who came before me, and for my father who instilled in me a love for my identity. My skin tone is a beautiful testament to my history and my culture, and it's something I cherish as a unique part of who I am.

Stephanie Herndon, Contracts Manager

Growing up, I was not taught about Juneteenth in my traditional school settings. Here in Florida, Juneteenth was not widely celebrated until it became a federal holiday. However, I come from a family of avid readers and history buffs, who introduced me to Juneteenth through books at home at an early age. To me, Juneteenth is more than a historical event. It's a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of the Black community. It signifies our journey towards freedom and equality and inspires us to keep pushing forward. The celebration of Juneteenth is an opportunity for us to honor our past while fostering unity, community, and hope for a brighter future for everyone. This year, my town hosted its annual Juneteenth festival at our beautiful lakefront, featuring cultural performances, live music, food, and a scholarship award - which my daughter proudly received. It was an incredible evening where people from all walks of life came together to honor the day when the last enslaved African Americans were freed.

Watch

  • What is Juneteenth, and why is it important?: Get to know the history of Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War. At the end of the Civil War, though slavery was technically illegal in all states, it still persisted in the last bastions of the Confederacy. This was the case when Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas on June 19th and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free. Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio dig into the history of Juneteenth. 

  • Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee, Shares the Importance of this Historic Holiday: Opal Lee, known in Fort Worth as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth", is a 94-year-old trailblazer on a mission to generate greater recognition for Juneteenth across the United States. Opal has dedicated her life to educating others about the history of Juneteenth, while also encouraging them to celebrate this historic holiday each year. Tune in to learn more about this historic day, and how Opal Lee encourages others to work together to eradicate the racial disparity experienced in this country.

  • The 1619 Project: Hulu’s six-part 1619 Docuseries is an expansion of “The 1619 Project” created by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times Magazine. The series seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative

  • Why all Americans should honor Juneteenth by Vox: Take ten minutes to learn about why all Americans should honor and celebrate Juneteenth and the overdue emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. 

  • High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America by Netflix: Watch this Peabody Award-winning series to learn about the incredible contributions that Black Americans have had on American cuisine. 

  • Civil: Ben Crump: Ben Crump, also known as "Black America's attorney general," pulls back the curtain on his life as a family man and civil rights leader.

Read

Here’s a list of Black-owned bookstores to support and shop at.

  • Juneteenth, explained, by Vox: Here’s a brief explainer on the significance of this holiday and the history behind it.

  • The 1619 Project by The New York Times: This award winning project from The New York Times has started a much needed conversation in the United States and reframed America’s history of slavery and its continued legacy today. You can buy the book (support a local Black-owned bookstore!) or read the magazine online. 

  • On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon Reed: The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Texas native.

  • How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America Book by Clint Smith: In a deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our country’s most essential stories are hidden in plain view-whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth, or entire neighborhoods—like downtown Manhattan—on which the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women and children has been deeply imprinted.

  • Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates, Jr: A profound new rendering of the struggle by African-Americans for equality after the Civil War and the violent counter-revolution that resubjugated them, by the bestselling author of The Black Church.

  • We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates: We Were Eight Years in Power features Coates’s iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including “Fear of a Black President,” “The Case for Reparations,” and “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coates’s own experiences, observations, and intellectual development, capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.

  • Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison: In Juneteenth, Ralph Ellison evokes the rhythms of jazz and gospel and ordinary speech to tell a powerful tale of a prodigal son in the twentieth century. At the time of his death in 1994, Ellison was still expanding his novel in other directions, envisioning a grand, perhaps multivolume, story cycle. Always, in his mind, the character Hickman and the story of Sunraider’s life from birth to death were the dramatic heart of the narrative. And so, with the aid of Ellison’s widow, Fanny, his literary executor, John Callahan, has edited this magnificent novel at the center of Ralph Ellison’s forty-year work in progress—its author’s abiding testament to the country he so loved and to its many unfinished tasks.

  • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: One of Oprah’s Best Books of the Year and a PEN/Hemingway award winner, Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. Yaa Gyasi’s extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed—and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.



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Eat & Drink 

Los Angeles: Check out this incredible resource to find Black-owned businesses in LA!

New York: Check out this incredible resource of Black-owned places to shop, eat, drink, and be merry in Brooklyn!

Chicago: Check out this resource to find Black-owned companies and businesses in Chicago!

 
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