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Juneteenth is an American holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved African Americans held in Confederate states were freed.
Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, its immediate impact was relatively small because Confederate slave owners weren’t forced to obey Union authority. Thus, millions of African Americans continued to live as enslaved people until Union armies made their way across the South to enforce Lincoln’s order.
Approximately two-and-a-half years later on June 19, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, took possession of the state, and read General Order #3, announcing that all enslaved African Americans in the state of Texas were free. Six months later, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment made slavery illegal throughout the entire United States.
According to some historians, the formerly enslaved crowd in Galveston selected a young girl to announce a freedom celebration. People in the crowd thought her words “We Free, June 19th, We Free!” sounded like she was saying "We Free, Juneteenth, ” and with the crowd repeating “We Free, Juneteenth, We Free!,” “Juneteenth” became the official title of the celebration.
This holiday was first celebrated in Texas with political rallies that featured voting rights and voter education, music, pageants, parades, and outdoor games. During early celebrations, formerly enslaved people discarded their old clothing and replaced it with newer styles, in remembrance of laws prohibiting African Americans from wearing finer clothing that challenged the status of their oppressors. Dressing well on the holiday is a custom still practiced today. Other traditions have included dramatic readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, renditions of the African American national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, and interpretations of the writings of African Americans. The heart of the Juneteenth celebration today is the reading of General Order #3 by a community elder.
Renewed interest in Juneteenth rose when Rev. Ralph Abernathy aligned the celebration with the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. The Campaign’s Solidarity Day took place on Juneteenth. Many civil rights workers in Washington, D.C. that day initiated Juneteenth celebrations in their own communities.
Over the past four decades, in the commemoration of Juneteenth has continued to grow. On February 16, 2011, Georgia became the thirty-seventh state to recognize Juneteenth with the passage of S.R. 164. Juneteenth finally became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021 nearly 160 years after the first celebration in Galveston, Texas.
We at Saint Mark join our African American brothers and sisters in celebration of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday in recognition of the release of their ancestors from the bonds of slavery and of the ongoing battle for equality in the United States.
What can you do to celebrate Juneteenth?
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Join the Juneteenth Atlanta Parade & Music Festival in Centennial Olympic Park (June 16-18, 2023)
Friday, June 16, 1:00 pm — 10:00 pm
Saturday, June 17, 10:00 am — 11:00 pm
Sunday, June 18, 10:00 am — 8:00 pm
- Join the Juneteenth Atlanta Black History Parade/March/Rally:
Saturday, June 17, 2023 starting at 12 pm
- Join Noey and Sheri Barrera-Disler at the Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Concert in East Point:
Saturday, June 17 from 5 pm to 9 pm
Free tickets required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-point-welcomes-atl-naacp-free-juneteenth-concert-2023-tickets-621245350567
- Invite your friends to join you at these celebrations.
- Tell the story of Juneteenth to your children.
- Talk with an African American friend about what Juneteenth means to him/her/them.
- Remind your friends to recognize this holiday. If they don’t know about it, tell them.
- Learn more about Juneteenth at:
http://www.juneteenthatl.com/about.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mH0zi-hLVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJKzdksodNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW3bqPeyet0
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