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Celebrating the End of Slavery
Juneteenth is the oldest known holiday Celebrating the End of Slavery.
It started on June 19th 1865 when the union soldiers, led by General Granger came to Galveston Texas and announced that the war was over and the slaves were free. General Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation freeing about 250,000 slaves throughout Texas.
One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas,
General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation.
While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former ‘masters’ – attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America.
Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory.
The Celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members.
Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
Juneteenth Festivities and Food
A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement. Thus, often guest speakers are brought in and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations.
STRAWBERRY SODA POP: www.dylanscandybar.com/
Certain foods became popular and subsequently synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations such as strawberry soda-pop. More traditional and just as popular was the barbecuing, through which Juneteenth participants could share in the spirit and aromas that their ancestors – the newly emancipated African Americans, would have experienced during their ceremonies.
Hence, the barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations. Food was abundant because everyone prepared a special dish. Meats such as lamb, pork and beef which not available everyday were brought on this special occasion. A true Juneteenth celebrations left visitors well satisfied and with enough conversation to last until the next.Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs and is often still taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition’s roots.
During slavery there were laws on the books in many areas that prohibited or limited the dressing of the enslaved. During the initial days of the emancipation celebrations, there are accounts of former slaves tossing their ragged garments into the creeks and rivers to adorn clothing taken from the plantations belonging to their former ‘masters’.
Juneteenth and Society
In the early years, little interest existed outside the African American community in participation in the celebrations. In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding and barbecues. Often the church grounds was the site for such activities.
Eventually, as African Americans became land owners,
land was donated and dedicated for these festivities.
One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth
was organized by Rev. Jack Yates.
This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and the
purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas.
In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898.
There are accounts of Juneteenth activities being interrupted and halted by white landowners demanding that their laborers return to work. However, it seems most allowed their workers the day off and some even made donations of food and money. For decades these annual celebrations flourished, growing continuously with each passing year.
In Booker T. Washington Park, as many as 20,000 African Americans once flowed through during the course of a week, making the celebration one of the state’s largest.
Juneteenth Celebrations Decline
Economic and cultural forces provided for a decline in Juneteenth activities and participants beginning in the early 1900’s. Classroom and textbook education in lieu of traditional home and family-taught practices stifled the interest of the youth due to less emphasis and detail on the activities of former slaves.
Classroom text books proclaimed Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 as the date signaling the ending of slavery – and little or nothing on the impact of General Granger’s arrival on June 19th. The Depression forced many people off the farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate this date.
Thus, unless June 19th fell on a weekend or holiday,
there were very few participants available.
July 4th was the already established Independence holiday and a Rise in Patriotism steered more toward this celebration.
Resurgence
The Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors.
www.futurumbooks.com/contents/da/d22.html
This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta Civil Rights Campaign in the early 1960’s, whom wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Reverend Ralph Abernathy discusses his work with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, his work and friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., SCLC, the March on Washington and many other events.
Rev. Ralph Abernathy, born in Linden, AL, served as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. He was one of the founding members of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He served the SCLC as treasurer-secretary during Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership and as president after Dr. King’s death in 1968. Rev. Abernathy moved to Atlanta in 1961 and became the pastor of the Hunter Street Baptist Church, where he remained until his death. Rev. Abernathy also served as vice-president of the American Freedom Coalition. His autobiography, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down, was published in 1989.
Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C.. Rev. Ralph Abernathy’s call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent of such activity.In fact, two of the largest Juneteenth celebrations founded after this March are now held in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
Texas Blazes the Trail
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.
Juneteenth In Modern Times
Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country.
Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. In recent years, a number of local and national Juneteenth organizations have arisen to take their place along side older organizations – all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American History and Culture.
As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.
WOMEN of ACTION,
a few along the way….
mentored Thomas Jefferson for years in Silence, an original Secret First Lady, in my eyes. Common sense and rumour dictates this WOMAN of ACTION ‘must’ have contributed to the Declaration of Independence. At least she achieved Freedom for Her Children~~~a great beginning in change.
Rosa Parks,
Rosa Parks, took a seat on a bus, Thank God!
In Quiet Strength, however, Parks is careful to explain that she did not change things alone. “Four decades later I am still uncomfortable with the credit given to me for starting the bus boycott. I would like [people] to know I was not the only person involved. I was just one of many who fought for freedom.”
Dorothy Heights,
Woman Leader in Human Rights
A Celebration of Women: https://851.5b0.myftpupload.com/?p=5913
and saving the Best for Last….2009,
First Lady, Michelle Obama becomes First Lady of the U.S.A.
…A Celebration of Women
hopes Lady Obama keeps her
‘Whisper’ to a ‘ROAR’!
The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us.
This indeed is a Sign of Growth
in Civil Rights and Equality;
as well as,
JUNETEENTH – Celebrating on June 19
June 18, 2012 by
