As our country's oldest celebration of the abolition of slavery, Juneteenth has a particular place in the hearts of many African Americans.
Members of Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church march to celebrate Juneteenth on June 19, 2021 in Galveston, Texas.
A Brief History Behind the Juneteenth
In a published article in Better Homes and Gardens, Juneteenth commemorates the arrival of Union troops equipped with rifled muskets and General Order No. 3 in the harbor city of Galveston, Texas. The order read by Gen. Gordon Granger said, "The people of Texas are notified that, in conformity with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free."
It was on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate States Army Commander Robert E. Lee surrendered in Virginia and two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation officially abolished slavery in Texas.
To Texas slaves, however, both the capitulation and freedom had been just stories up until that moment. Granger's revelation sparked a 156-year-long celebration among African Americans in the country.
Read Also: Biden Signs Juneteenth Bill As Official Federal Holiday
What the Juneteenth Flag Symbolizes?
Ben Haith designed a flag inspired by the June 19 incident in 1997, which was updated in 2000. Its colors red, white, and blue are the same as those of the United States flag, indicating that people who were once slaves and their descendants are Americans, according to a published article in Inside Edition.
The curving separation of hues, according to the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, represents new vistas and possibilities for Black Americans. The white "star of Texas exploding with fresh independence across the land" appears in the center. Meanwhile, the June 19 date was added in 2007.
According to Haith, as African Americans continue to struggle for equality and justice today, those colors represent all the Americans' ongoing process to do better and to live up to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all, per CNN News.
How the Juneteenth is Celebrated
Pres. Joe Biden signed a legislation, making Juneteenth a national holiday on Thursday, June 17, 2021. During the signing ceremony, he said that even though he has only been president for a few months, he considers this to be one of the highest honors he can bestow.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that freed slaves had little, community meals were a key component of early Juneteenth festivities. The celebration includes traditional Juneteenth dishes such as barbecue, fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and other soul food staples.
Michael W. Twitty, a culinary historian and chef, explained it this way on his blog Afroculinaria: "The practice of eating red foods-red cake, barbecue, punch, and fruit-may owe its existence to the enslaved Yoruba and Kongo brought to Texas in the 19th century, as the color red is the embodiment of spiritual power and transformation for both of these cultures."
Furthermore, there are many ways to commemorate the occasion. People can learn more about Black history, meet with family and friends to eat and drink, light off fireworks, and promote Black businesses.
Related Article: Juneteenth Becomes Federal Holiday, Commemorating the Freedom of Slaves
