Juneteenth is meant to unite us, just like the Fourth of July
In 1619 the first enslaved people of African descent arrived on the shores of what is now Hampton, Virginia.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
““All persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be, free.” ”
The news didn't make its way to Texas, however, for another two years. Major General Gordon Granger and other Union soldiers did not land in Galveston to declare the end of the war or the emancipation of slaves until June 19, 1865.
Now, June 19 is a holiday meant to recognize the effective end of slavery in the US. Juneteenth, a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth," has been commemorated by Black Americans as an independence day in Texas since 1866.
Public awareness of Juneteenth grew in 2020 amid nationwide protests after the police killings of several Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. President Joe Biden signed the legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday in June 2021.
You can read more about that here.
But, Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It is not just a commemoration of the end of slavery. It is a day that celebrates America’s incredible capacity to self-correct by applying the timeless principles at our country’s core. Yet as we prepare to mark Juneteenth’s second year as a federal holiday, we have to ask: Will we let this celebration fall prey to the division and distraction that are tearing America down? Or will we embrace its true meaning, commit to ending the injustices that surround us, and ultimately lift America up?
By all rights, Juneteenth should be a day of great unity. When the enslaved people of Galveston, Tex., were told of their freedom on June 19, 1865, the promise of America became much more real and attainable. It was hardly the end of all injustice, but it was the end of one of the country’s original injustices. That’s why generations of Black Americans made June 19 into a long-standing holiday. What could be more American than remembering the forward march of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?