Juneteenth: Social justice, political unrest thrust holiday into national spotlight

Jun 17, 2021 at 02:27 PM CDT

Juneteenth social political unrest — Image credit: U.S. President Joe Biden is applauded as he reaches for a pen to sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law as Opal Lee, a 94-year-old activist and retired educator in Fort Worth, Texas, reacts with Vice President Kamala Harris in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Social justice and political unrest have pushed Juneteenth into the national spotlight. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved Blacks in Galveston, Texas received the news they were free.

Juneteenth social political unrest

U.S. President Joe Biden is applauded as he reaches for a pen to sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law as Opal Lee, a 94-year-old activist and retired educator in Fort Worth, Texas, reacts with Vice President Kamala Harris in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Tags: Society at Large

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JIMMIE JOHNSON: JUNETEENTH HONORS THE EMANCIPATION OF THE LAST SLAVES IN AMERICA.

JUNE 19TH 1865.

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UNREST HELPED THRUST JUNETEENTH INTO A FEDERAL HOLIDAY. WHILE SOME MAY HAVE NOT HEARD OF THIS BEFORE, AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE BEEN HONORING JUNETEENTH FOR MORE THAN 150-YEARS.

LET ME EXPLAIN.

IN 1863, AS UNION AND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS WERE FIGHTING IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN SIGNED THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.

IT FREED SLAVES IN UNION STATES, BUT IN THE CONFEDERATE SOUTH NOT SO MUCH.

MORE THAN 250-THOUSAND SLAVES IN GALVESTON, TEXAS, STILL UNDER CONFEDERATE CONTROL, WOULDN’T RECEIVE THE NEWS OF THEIR FREEDOM UNTIL TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER.

IT WASN’T UNTIL THE PASSAGE OF THE 13TH AMENDMENT THAT SLAVERY WOULD BE ABOLISHED FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

JUNETEENTH THEN TRANSITION TO FREEDOM DAY

THAT DAY IS KNOWN AS JUNETEENTH OR FREEDOM DAY.

OVER THE YEARS, CELEBRATIONS HAVE TAKEN MANY SHAPES AND FORMS.

THEY’VE INCLUDED FAMILY PICNICS, PRAYER SERVICES, SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANTS, PARADES, VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES, AND IN 2020 MARCHES.

DR. SHARLENE SINEGAL- DECUIR IS A PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AT XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA.

DR. SHARLENE SINEGAL-DECUIR: Back then, it was just a jovial time it was, you know, the singing and the dancing and the praising. The joy of being free and being able to make their own decisions.

JIMMIE: AND MORE RECENTLY, THE COMMEMORATION OF JUNETEENTH IS BEING RECOGNIZED ON A NATIONAL STAGE.

ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Tonight, is a first for ABC News, in our 75-year history, we’ve never produced a primetime special about Juneteenth.

NBC NEWS REPORTER: Today, more and more companies have a new holiday on their books. From Nike and the new york times to target and Twitter. All marking Juneteenth.

JIMMIE: DR. SINEGAL-DECUIR SAYS WHILE JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATES THE END OF SLAVERY, TODAY, IT’S TAKEN ON A MORE SIGNIFICANT MEANING BECAUSE OF THE CURRENT POLITICAL AND RACIAL CLIMATE.

DR. SINEGAL-DECUIR: It is a visible day to actually have these conversations to open up and discuss all of the things that have we have gone through as black people in America, and all of the things that we are currently going through.

JIMMIE: IN THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD’S MURDER, AMERICA HIT SOMEWHAT OF AN INFLECTION POINT.

PBS NEWS ANCHOR: Americans marked this Juneteenth with rallies and marches nationwide.

JIMMIE: WIDESPREAD PROTESTS AND PENT-UP FRUSTRATIONS PROMPTED TOUGH CONVERSATIONS.

AS A RESULT, JUNETEENTH WAS THRUST INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT.

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