I was asked to present an overview of Juneteenth for our community Black History Month program. I quickly gathered a team together and we presented information to an audience that was willing to listen and learn. Our theme was “Celebrating Freedom Together.”
I’m grateful to the awesome singers from a local Black church that supported us by leading us in singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Later, they sang spiritual songs that articulated the religious passion of Black Americans during enslavement and afterwards.
I’m sharing a portion of my speech.
To this day, people ask why Juneteenth is celebrated. What does the funny sounding word mean? Why is it important? We have July 4th, why do we need another Independence Day? Well, let’s explore some answers to those questions.
Juneteenth is an overlooked holiday in our nation’s history. It celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States. It’s a day we take one step closer together for peace, justice, and liberty for all.
Much like the celebration of Independence Day on July 4th, Juneteenth is also an important part of America’s history and signifies progress toward liberty and equality for all citizens.
To understand why we celebrate Juneteenth, we must go back in time (1860s) and tell the story of our shared history. We know that history can’t be recalled or undone! So, we come together to learn about this holiday and celebrate its significance. We must tell true history to be empowered, heal, and to move forward. The truth is bitter but must be spoken.
Today, we (the presenters) will tell our shared history in the form of a story to include exhibits, bulletin board, learn historical information, taste traditional foods, hear soulful/spiritual songs, and introduce you to a special lady-Ms. Opal Lee, the GM of Juneteenth!
During our presentation today, we will describe the sweet taste of freedom (a taste that legally escaped our ancestors for so long) and hear the different sounds of freedom! As you heard in the song, it is said that our enslaved ancestors lifted their voices to the wide open sky and sung their way to freedom. They sang songs of survival, played instruments they made (diddly bow), and beat drums that symbolized hope, joy and perseverance. We honor our ancestor’s strong legacy, resilience, and self-sufficiency.
On Juneteenth, we talk about our history and realize because of it, there will forever be a bond between us!
Juneteenth represents the beginning of freedom! It’s an opportunity to honor those who came before us-those who worked the rich soils of slavery-a soil that was watered with their tears-those who died, resisted and beaten, those who survived, and still had hopes and dreams for their descendants.
As we know, chattel slavery was the ownership of one human being by another. The horrible slave trade was abolished on January 1, 1808. This meant no new humans could be transported and enslaved, but almost 4 million Black people were already enslaved in the South. The North also had slavery, but the weather and agriculture did not support as many enslaved people in those colder regions. As a result of abolitionists, most northern states had already gradually abolished slavery.
So you see, we must discuss the long journey to freedom and ways we can all continue moving the journey forward! We must discuss ways we can celebrate freedom together. Noted civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer said-Nobody’s free until everyone’s free.
Juneteenth is a combination of the words, June and Nineteenth. Back in the day, our ancestors’ blended words together. Blended together, it’s pronounced Juneteenth! It commemorates the day more than two months after the Civil War (War Between the States) ended on April 9, 1865, and more than two years after President Lincoln issued the historic Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. We know now the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single human being in the South.
In December 1860, seven slave or Southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. About five months later, the Civil War started on April 12, 1861 at Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C. Later, four more states, including Tennessee (the last state) seceded and now there are 11 states with rich soil to plant tobacco, cotton, rice, and sugar cane crops. The South needed free labor! The Confederate Constitution emphasized state power over federal power therefore it protected the rights of slaveholders. So- only the enslavers would profit.
President Lincoln had the authority to abolish slavery in Washington, D.C. Why? This was the Union capital during the war and served as an operations base. On April 16, 1862, three thousand enslaved humans were freed. This act was known as the Compensated Emancipation Act and called Emancipation Day. It was compensated because enslavers were paid $300 for each formerly enslaved person. For them, emancipation only meant the loss of human property and the disruption of their labor supply.
Five months later, on September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. By word of mouth, enslaved humans got word that freedom was finally coming! The Emancipation Proclamation was to be declared on the new year-January 1, 1863- telling the nearly 4 million enslaved people they would be freed. This strange word, Freedom, meant keeping families together, getting married before a preacher and signing a legal paper! Freedom meant having two names, a first and last. Freedom meant an opportunity to learn! In the words of my grandparents-Freedom meant the right to PICK UP AND GO! You already know that didn’t happen.
Keep in mind, the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people living in rebellious states would be freed, but President Lincoln did not have any authority over these Confederate states.
In the Confederacy, it took nearly three more years to abolish slavery. The 13th Amendment to abolish slavery was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865. We know the civil war continued until April 9, of that year. General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in VA. The South had lost! Now, President Lincoln had authority over all states, but he was assassinated April 15, 1865.
The enforcement of the executive proclamationwas left to Union troops. As we know, Texas is huge! As the most remote state of the former Confederacy, Texas saw very little combat; therefore not many Union troops were there during the Civil War. It was easy for planters/enslavers to ignore the new law. Don’t be fooled-Enslavers knew of the law, but deliberately withheld the news. Remember-Texas was not under Union control like other Southern/Confederate states.
For so long, slavery and freedom stood side by side but finally the day arrived! Juneteenth is the day enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom. Again, the date was June 19th, 1865!
Union Army Major General Gordon Granger and his two thousand troops rode into Galveston to signal freedom for 250K enslaved people.
He stood on Texas soil and issued Field Order #3. This involves an absolute equality of person rights and rights of property between the former enslavers and enslaved.
The connection changed to employer and hired labor. The formerly enslaved could work for wages! The freedmen were empowered to take control of their lives for the first time. I imagine the jubilee trumpet sounded, and its echo was heard across the nation! It was the day even the drums found their language and opened their throats to sing! The freed Americans claimed the freedom to move whenever and wherever they wanted! Drowned in the deepest ocean of insensibility, was an invaluable blessing called FREEDOM!
After passage by Congress, the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery in the United States was finally ratified on December 6, 1865. The Constitution was amended. Eighty nine long years since Independence Day (July 4, 1776) freedom was finally granted to enslaved Americans. So you see-For Independence Day to have a meaning that connects to the founding ideas, Juneteenth must exist. About 6 months later, the 1st recognized Juneteenth celebration took place in Texas on June 19, 1866. At that time, it was known as “Jubilee Day.”
In 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas. Now, it’s one of 11 official federal holidays. On June 17, 2021, thanks to a courageous lady, President Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday. Last year, at least 28 states, including Tennessee, and the District of Columbia legally recognized Juneteenth as a national independence day.
On June 19, 2024 (Wednesday), banks, post offices, and some companies may be closed.
In our state of Tennessee, it became the first new holiday since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983. Before it became an official federal holiday, Juneteenth was observed for decades as a state or ceremonial holiday.
So in closing, almost 246 years (1619-1865) after the institution of enslaving people, and sacrificing life, all Americans could celebrate freedom. It was a long process, violence erupted against the freedmen. During Reconstruction, The Freedman’s Bureau assisted in the transition, but it was a long struggle ahead.
We hope you can see why Juneteenth is a day of reflection, a day of renewal. This is the day where our ancestor’s dreams took flight! It’s a moment in time to appreciate the Black American experience, but it includes all races, ethnicities, and nationalities. Look around-Today, we’re a vibrant multi-cultural society. We remember our past, but we’re not captives to a past we didn’t invent! It’s a day we can finally celebrate freedom together!
Francie Mae. February 23, 2024
Speech presented to the community for Black History Month.