What is Juneteenth? When is it observed? Here’s everything you should know
Juneteenth or June 19, celebrates the day in 1866 when enslaved blacks in Galveston, Texas learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had set them free. It's a state holiday in New Jersey, and now a federal holiday after President Biden signed the House and Senate bills.
The day commemorates the time on June 19, 1865, when Union forces informed remaining enslaved blacks in Galveston, Texas that all people who were still enslaved at the time should be released. According to the Emancipation Proclamation.
They were the last on the list to get the desired freedom, as Texas was considered a remote state at the time. The Juneteenth took place more than a month after the end of the Civil War. It also happened after 900 days, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation
Juneteenth has been celebrated in various parts of the United States for more than a century and is considered the longest-running black holiday in the United States. It gained prominence in 2020 after Black Lives Matter supporters campaigned for it to be a national holiday.
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| Representative Image| Credit: Flickr |
Since Juneteenth falls on a Saturday, states like New Jersey observe the public holiday. On Friday, June 18, 2021, in other states such as New York and Virginia, the holiday is observed on Saturday, June 19.
Starting from 2021, it will also become a paid holiday in Washington state. Unanimously decided to make Friday, June 18 a public holiday in the United States. The US House of Representatives made the same decision on Wednesday. President Biden signed the law on Tuesday afternoon. The law goes into effect this year and gives most federal employees one day.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth – the blend of the words June and nineteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the finishing of slavery inside the US. It is celebrated on June 19 each year. At present, it's recognized as a vacation in 47 US states and the District of Columbia. It is also referred to as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day.
Last year, the rules to make Juneteenth a federal excursion were blocked because of the then-Republican managed Senate. It happened because Ron Johnson, an ardent Trump supporter, antagonized the measure, announcing an extra federal excursion could suggest taxpayers footing an invoice well worth tens of thousands of greenbacks because of paid leaves for federal authorities employees. This time around, the invoice has been surpassed unanimously with the aid of using the effective 100-member chamber.
Why is Juneteenth a federal holiday now?
National reckoning on the race helped set the stage for June 19, which became the first federal holiday since 1983 when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was launched.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat of Massachusetts, and had 60 Co party's support as lawmakers sought to bridge divisions that persist after the police Assassination of George Floyd in Minnesota last year.
Holiday supporters have worked to ensure that those celebrating the 19th don't forget why the day exists. "In 1776 the country was liberated by the British, but not all people were free," said Dee Evans, national communications director for the National 16th Observance Foundation in 2019. "On June 19, 1865.
There is also a feeling of using the day to remember the sacrifices made for freedom in America, especially in these days of racial and political strain, said To LaNell Agboga, museum-site coordinator of the Genealogy and Cultural Center at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin, Texas.
“Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn't take much to go backward” he added
What is the significance of Juneteenth?
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced the end of the Civil War and slavery. Since then, the 19th has become a largely symbolic date that represents African American freedom.
According to the CRS, Granger's announcement read, “The people of Texas are being informed that all slaves are free according to a proclamation by the United States executive branch.”
This implies absolute equality of private rights and property rights between former masters and slaves. The existing connection between slave and master turned into the relation of employer and wageworker. Those released were advised to stay in their current homes and work for a fee.
