What Is Juneteenth?
The Juneteenth celebration is still new to many Americans, so this year we want to spend time learning about the origins of a day that is now a federally recognized holiday.
On June 19, 1865, General Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. Those who were enslaved started celebrating the day and giving it the name Juneteenth.
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, the first new legal, federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.
“[Juneteenth] is the celebration of freedom, family, and the joy of being alive.” Kelly Navies, Museum Specialist and Oral Historian at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
What Happened After Juneteenth?
Visit the NMAAHC Juneteenth website to explore topics like:
- Black Family Reunions
- Educating the Newly Freed
- Freedman’s Bureau Search Portal
- Food and Music
How Can I Observe Juneteenth?
See what the NMAAHC has planned for this year, as well as what public celebrations might be happening in your area.
Red is often seen at Juneteenth celebrations, particularly in foods like watermelon, apples, or red beans. Tracing back over time and to Western Africa, the symbolic associations of red are strength, spirituality, life, and death.
Kelly Naives wrote, “This year at Juneteenth, as you take a long swallow from a cool drink of hibiscus iced tea, or red punch, remember the ancestors who sacrificed, remember the bloodshed in the struggle, remember the collective strength of people of the African diaspora, and finally remember the spirituality and transcendent joy that enabled us to overcome.”
Learning about the significance of Juneteenth is a great way to observe the holiday. Check out the NMAAHC official reading list to learn more about the rich history of this tradition.
