Juneteenth — and Still Not Free
Let’s Celebrate
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Photo Credit: National Geographic via Library of Congress.
For many people of color, specifically those of African-American heritage, Juneteenth is celebrated as opposed to Independence Day being that African-Americans were not actually free.
The Juneteenth holiday
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, the Union Soldiers which were led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Texas. They informed others that the war had ended and those who were still enslaved, were now free. It is important to note that this was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by then President, Abraham Lincoln.
Why did it take so long?
The Emancipation Proclamation did not become official until January 1, 1863. Also, because of the limited number of Union Troops able to Enforce President Lincoln’s Executive Order, it had little impact. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to the Union’s Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. For many, this marked the beginning of the end of the four-year-long American Civil War. With Lee’s surrender and under General Granger’s regiment, the forces were then strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
Even after slavery was over, it was not over. Where does one go? Most without formal education, support, or basic knowledge of the outside world. For quite a few, all they know was servitude, agriculture and the plantation they were enslaved on. As a workaround, slave masters among others began to institute sharecropping. Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a plantation owner (Slave masters) allows a tenant (former enslaved persons) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land (work on the land for basic human needs such as food and shelter). Spot the difference? Basically, they were leveraging the lack of a person’s resources and using it as a legal way to further enslave people. Sharecropping increased the amount of debt that poor people owed the plantation owners, some never being able to pay it off. Very often, sharecroppers owed so much money to the plantation owners they had to give them all of the money they made from cotton.
What does it mean today?
Image from Texas Juneteenth Day Celebration, 1900 (Austin History Center, Austin Public Library)
For many people of color, specifically those of African-American heritage, Juneteenth is celebrated as opposed to Independence Day being that African-Americans were not actually free. This day is often celebrated by wearing pro-black articles of clothing, gathering together, supporting black businesses and overall spreading knowledge and awareness via social media and various other mediums.
There has also been a nationwide push to remove statues and monuments that are reminiscent of General Robert E. Lee and reinforce a tragic part of American history. Schools are being renamed, statues are being removed and education behind these ill-fated atrocities to the human race is abundantly availability.
With Shapely being a minority lead team, Juneteenth is recognized and celebrated. Shapely also makes it a point to educate and offer Juneteenth gear which you can find in the Shapely Shop for your celebration.
Do you celebrate Juneteenth? What does this day mean to you? Leave a comment for a chance to have your story shared.
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