Celebrating a New National Holiday

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.

It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.

Juneteenth, which takes place annually on June 19th  has been for many years, a widely celebrated holiday in the United States, marking the freedom of enslaved black people in the US. This year, the day carries special meaning as Congress approved the Bill to make Juneteeth a National Holiday and it was signed into law by President Biden today. 

What's the story behind Juneteenth

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th  and commemorates the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas, following the end of the Civil War, marking the effective end of slavery in the United States more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

"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 personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor."

The moment was significant. Texas had been a holdout state where enslavement continued, despite President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery two years before, in 1863, and the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the US Constitution. The 13th Amendment passed on Jan. 31, 1865.

Since then, Americans have observed and celebrated Juneteenth as Emancipation Day, a day of freedom.

Emancipation Day in 1900.

At right, Civil War re-enactors in a Juneteenth celebration at the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum in Atlanta, in 2014.

Credit...via Austin History Center, Austin Public Library; 

Associated Press

What exactly does a Juneteenth celebration look like?

For some, it’s eating barbecue, shooting fireworks, gathering at a cookout and sipping on red drinks, a tradition that symbolizes perseverance and honors the blood that was shed of African-Americans. For others, it’s shopping only at black-owned businesses, sharing history or resting at home. This year, some will gather online for live video chats, which has become a norm in the new coronavirus pandemic.

According to the New York Times, red foods are customary for Juneteenth, symbolizing the blood of Black Americans' ancestors. There's red-sauce barbecue, red beans and rice, red velvet cake, strawberry pie, strawberry soda and bissap, a drink from West Africa more commonly known as hibiscus tea.

The Juneteenth flag is full of symbols

The flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF). Haith created the flag in 1997 with the help of collaborators, and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought their vision to life.

The flag was revised in 2000 into the version we know today, according to the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation. Seven years later, the date "June 19, 1865" was added, commemorating the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told enslaved African Americans of their emancipation.

For two decades now, communities around the country have held flag-raising ceremonies on Juneteenth in celebration of their freedom.

"This country has so many aspects to it that are spiritual, and I believe this flag is of that nature," Haith said. "It (the idea for the design) just came through me."
Designing the flag and its symbols was a deliberate process, Haith said. Here's what each element of the flag represents.

The colors

The red, white and blue represents the American flag, a reminder that slaves and their descendants were and are Americans. June 19, 1865, represents the day that enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas, became Americans under the law.

And while African Americans today are still fighting for equality and justice, Haith said those colors symbolize the continuous commitment of people in the United States to do better -- and to live up to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all.

The star

The white star in the center of the flag has a dual meaning, Haith said. For one, it represents Texas, the Lone Star State. It was in Galveston in 1865 where Union soldiers informed the country's last remaining enslaved people that, under the Emancipation Proclamation issued two years earlier, they were free. But the star also goes beyond Texas, representing the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.

The burst

The bursting outline around the star is inspired by a nova, a term that astronomers use to mean a new star.  On the Juneteenth flag, this represents a new beginning for the African Americans of Galveston and throughout the land.

The arc

The curve that extends across the width of the flag represents a new horizon: the opportunities and promise that lay ahead for black Americans.