Juneteenth

In Context

• Juneteenth is observed every year on 19 June.

What is Juneteenth?

• It is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the US.
•  It is also known as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day.

• Historical Background  
  • On January 1, 1863, then-president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that “all persons held as slaves” within the states in rebellion “are, and henceforward shall be free.
  • Even so, more than two years after Lincoln’s proclamation, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive by hiding this information from them and keeping them for one more harvest season.
  • On June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War had ended, Major General Gordon Granger, from the victorious Union side, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued an order to free the last enslaved people on US soil.

• Significant Developments
  • The day has evolved over the years, with people and communities developing their own traditions and customs. 
  • The US President signed legislation in 2021 to  make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
  • All 50 US states have proclamations in place to recognise and celebrate Juneteenth. But it is not a universal American holiday just yet. 

• Texas was the first state to make it a paid holiday in 1980.

• The day is also celebrated outside the United States, being used by organizations in a number of countries to recognize the end of slavery and to honour the culture and achievements of African Americans.

Source:IE