Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas brought the news that the enslaved were now free. Also called “Emancipation Day” or “Juneteenth Independence Day”, the name “Juneteenth” references the date (holiday) combining the words “June” and “nineteenth.”
President Lincoln’s Emancipation of Proclamation (issued January 1, 1863), had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. You can read more on History.com.
You may even see a photo with a red, white, and blue flag circulating. It was created by Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, and here is what it means.
thenceforward, and forever free.
THE CELEBRATION AND FOOD
We celebrate this day with family gatherings, festivals, music, food, dancing, praying, and giving thanks to our Ancestors. You may have heard mention of red foods and beverages… “symbolizing the blood and resilience of former slaves”. The first drink that freed slaves celebrated with was a red soda, because they were not allowed to drink it enslaved. Watermelon, red foods, and red drinks are some of the oldest traditional foods on Juneteenth — but we also celebrate with barbecue, spicy red sausages, greens, fried fish, cornbread, black-eyed peas…the list goes on!
You can find the recipe post here!
THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER
The Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama opened The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in April 2018. It took me over a year to share about one of the most shocking, gut-wrenching trips through our history — America’s history. This was not the history I learned in grade school or textbooks, and I’m inclined to believe that a huge chunk of what I witnessed was never intended to be included. The beauty of it all is that the Equal Justice Initiative has created a space to educate the world on our history, especially black history. This space will also make history available for generations to come. You can read that post here. You can also donate here.
Check out my latest posts: Support Black Colleges, Break the Cycle of Racism. You can find me on Instagram here.
LET’S KEEP FIGHTING…UNTIL VICTORY IS WON!
Photos by A.Walker © Photography
Leave a Reply