What Is Juneteenth? A Day that Celebrate Freedom

Events

Jun 19

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth – June 19 – marks the day enslaved African Americans in west Texas learned of their freedom. It is the oldest of all African American celebrations.

It was June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas when Union Army General Gordon Granger read General Order Number 3 declaring, “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free” and “the connection (between former master and slave) becomes that between employer and hired labor.” The enslaved African Americans in west Texas were the last to learn of their freedom as granted in the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years earlier.

Celebrations of Juneteenth – also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day – began a year later in Texas and quickly spread to surrounding states. Commemorations waned during the Jim Crow era but resumed in the Civil Rights era of the1950s and 1960s. Today, it’s a recognized holiday as a federal holiday.

Juneteenth ought not be a celebration only for those in the Africana tradition, but for all of God’s people. In this era of debate about what should and should not be taught about our history of racial strife, this is history that needs to be remembered and celebrated. We encourage all worshiping communities to not only acknowledge this event in our history, but to celebrate the ongoing struggle for emancipation that continues to this day. As a part of the denominational efforts toward dismantling racism, Juneteenth can be an observance of solidarity and hope for God’s people and a sign of unity within the body of Christ.

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