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What is the origin of Juneteenth?

Is juneteenth a federal holiday, how is juneteenth celebrated, how did the american civil rights movement affect juneteenth celebrations.

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• BBC News - Juneteenth: How the US holiday is being celebrated
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What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. The name “Juneteenth” references the date of the holiday, combining the words “June” and “nineteenth.”

When is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19.

Juneteenth was originally celebrated in Texas , on June 19, 1866. It marked the first anniversary of the day that Black people there first learned of the Emancipation Proclamation , more than two years after it was initially issued. The holiday was originally celebrated with prayer meetings and by singing spirituals and wearing new clothes to represent newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans were celebrating Juneteenth in other states, making it an annual tradition. Learn more.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States. Legislation establishing the holiday was passed by Congress on June 16, 2021, and signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden the following day. Opal Lee , known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” was integral to making Juneteenth a national holiday.

Juneteenth had previously been established as a state holiday in Texas in 1980, with a number of other states later declaring it a state holiday or day of observance.

Juneteenth celebrations in the United States typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with food, music, and dancing. The day is also celebrated outside the United States and is used to recognize the end of slavery as well as to celebrate the culture and achievements of Black Americans.

Juneteenth celebrations in the United States declined in the 1960s, overshadowed by the civil rights movement . However, the holiday began to regain its importance in 1968 when the Poor People’s Campaign , originally led by Martin Luther King, Jr. , held a Juneteenth Solidarity Day. Interest in Juneteenth continued to increase in the following decades, and the first state-sponsored Juneteenth celebration was held in Texas in 1980.

Juneteenth , holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States , observed annually on June 19.

(Read Charles Blow’s Britannica essay on the Juneteenth holiday.)

In 1863, during the American Civil War , Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation , which declared more than three million enslaved people living in the Confederate states to be free. More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas . It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The formerly enslaved immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.

The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.

Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and a number of other states subsequently followed suit. In 2021 Juneteenth was made a federal holiday, in part because of the actions of activist Opal Lee to raise awareness. The day is also celebrated outside the United States, being used by organizations in a number of countries to recognize the end of slavery and to honor the culture and achievements of African Americans.

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What Is Juneteenth?

By: Elizabeth Nix

Updated: June 11, 2024 | Original: June 19, 2015

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston , Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation . Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday . Juneteenth 2024 will occur on Wednesday, June 19.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, but slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas—until U.S. General Gordon Granger stood on Texas soil and read General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

The Emancipation Proclamation 

The Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln  on January 1, 1863, had established that all enslaved people in Confederate states in rebellion against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” 

But in reality, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t instantly free any enslaved people. The proclamation only applied to places under Confederate control and not to slave-holding border states or rebel areas already under Union control. However, as Northern troops advanced into the Confederate South, many enslaved people fled behind Union lines.

Juneteenth and Slavery in Texas

In Texas, slavery had continued as the state experienced no large-scale fighting or significant presence of Union troops. Many enslavers from outside the Lone Star State had moved there, as they viewed it as a safe haven for slavery.

After the war came to a close in the spring of 1865, General Granger’s arrival in Galveston that June signaled freedom for Texas’s 250,000 enslaved people. Although emancipation didn’t happen overnight for everyone—in some cases, enslavers withheld the information until after harvest season—celebrations broke out among newly freed Black people, and Juneteenth was born. That December, slavery in America was formally abolished with the adoption of the 13th Amendment .

The year following 1865, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of "Jubilee Day" on June 19. In the ensuing decades, Juneteenth commemorations featured music, barbecues, prayer services and other activities, and as Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country the Juneteenth tradition spread.

In 1979, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday; several others followed suit over the years. In June 2021, Congress passed a resolution establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday; President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021. 

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Slavery Didn't End On Juneteenth. What You Should Know About This Important Day

Sharon Pruitt-Young

Emancipation Day is celebrated in 1905 in Richmond, Va., the onetime capital of the Confederacy. Library of Congress hide caption

Emancipation Day is celebrated in 1905 in Richmond, Va., the onetime capital of the Confederacy.

It goes by many names. Whether you call it Emancipation Day, Freedom Day or the country's second Independence Day, Juneteenth is one of the most important anniversaries in our nation's history.

On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, who had fought for the Union, led a force of soldiers to Galveston, Texas, to deliver a very important message: The war was finally over, the Union had won, and it now had the manpower to enforce the end of slavery.

The announcement came two months after the effective conclusion of the Civil War, and even longer since President Abraham Lincoln had first signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but many enslaved Black people in Texas still weren't free, even after that day.

That was 156 years ago. Here are the basics of Juneteenth that everyone should know.

What Juneteenth represents

First things first: Juneteenth gets its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth," the day that Granger arrived in Galveston, bearing a message of freedom for the slaves there.

Upon his arrival, he read out General Order No. 3, informing the residents that slavery would no longer be tolerated and that all slaves were now free and would henceforth be treated as hired workers if they chose to remain on the plantations, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture .

General Order No. 3 was the final execution and fulfillment of the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation. The people to whom this order was addressed were the last group of Americans to be informed that all formerly enslaved persons were now free. National Archives hide caption

General Order No. 3 was the final execution and fulfillment of the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation. The people to whom this order was addressed were the last group of Americans to be informed that all formerly enslaved persons were now free.

"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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer," the order reads, in part.

It's perhaps unsurprising that many former slaves did not stay on the plantations as workers and instead left in search of new beginnings or to find family members who had been sold away.

"It immediately changed the game for 250,000 people," Shane Bolles Walsh, a lecturer with the University of Maryland's African American Studies Department, told NPR.

Enslaved Black people, now free, had ample cause to celebrate. As Felix Haywood, a former slave, recalled : "Everybody went wild. We all felt like heroes ... just like that, we were free."

Slavery did not end on Juneteenth

When Granger arrived in Galveston, there still existed around 250,000 slaves and they were not all freed immediately, or even soon. It was not uncommon for slave owners, unwilling to give up free labor, to refuse to release their slaves until forced to, in person, by a representative of the government, historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote . Some would wait until one final harvest was complete, and some would just outright refuse to submit. It was a perilous time for Black people, and some former slaves who were freed or attempted to get free were attacked and killed.

For Confederate states like Texas, even before Juneteenth, there existed a "desire to hold on to that system as long as they could," Walsh explained to NPR.

Before the reading of General Order No. 3, many slave owners in Confederate states simply chose not to tell their slaves about the Emancipation Proclamation and did not honor it. They got away with it because, before winning the war, Union soldiers were largely unable to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation in Southern states. Still, even though slavery in the States was not abolished until the ratification of the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation still played a pivotal role in that process, historian Lonnie Bunch told NPR in 2013. (And the amendment did not extend to tribal lands.)

"What the Emancipation Proclamation does that's so important is it begins a creeping process of emancipation where the federal government is now finally taking firm stands to say slavery is wrong and it must end," Bunch said.

People have celebrated Juneteenth any way they can

After they were freed, some former slaves and their descendants would travel to Galveston annually in honor of Juneteenth. That tradition soon spread to other states, but it wasn't uncommon for white people to bar Black people from celebrating in public spaces, forcing Black people to get creative. In one such case, Black community leaders in Houston saved $1,000 to purchase land in 1872 that would be devoted specifically to Juneteenth celebrations, according to the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. That land became Emancipation Park , a name that it still bears.

Juneteenth is celebrated in Houston's Emancipation Park, which was created specifically for such celebrations, in 1880. Wikimedia Commons hide caption

Juneteenth is celebrated in Houston's Emancipation Park, which was created specifically for such celebrations, in 1880.

" 'If you want to commemorate something, you literally have to buy land to commemorate it on' is, I think, just a really potent example of the long-lasting reality of white supremacy," Walsh said.

Nevertheless, Black Americans found a way to continue to celebrate and lift one another up. Early on, Juneteenth celebrations often involved helping newly freed Black folks learn about their voting rights, according to the Texas State Historical Association . Rodeos and horseback riding were also common. Now, Juneteenth celebrations commonly involve cookouts, parades, church services, musical performances and other public events, Walsh explained.

People celebrate last year's Juneteenth by riding horses through Washington Park in Chicago. This year, it is a federal holiday. Natasha Moustache/Getty Images hide caption

People celebrate last year's Juneteenth by riding horses through Washington Park in Chicago. This year, it is a federal holiday.

It's a day to "commemorate the hardships endured by ancestors," Walsh said. He added, "It really exemplifies the survival instinct, the ways that we as a community really make something out of nothing. ... It's about empowerment and hopefulness."

And there's reason to be hopeful. After literal decades of activists campaigning for change, Congress has approved Juneteenth as a federal holiday .

Clarification July 14, 2022

The 13th Amendment did not include Native American lands under tribal autonomy, where later treaties would negotiate the end of slavery there. Corrected previously on June 19, 2021: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Black community leaders bought the land for Emancipation Park in Houston in 1867. The land was purchased and park established in 1872.

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Lesson Plan

June 17, 2024, 6:05 a.m.

Lesson plan: History of Juneteenth and why it became a national holiday

A Juneteenth celebration in Richmond, Virginia, 1905. Library of Congress

This lesson was originally published on June 16, 2021, and was updated on June 16, 2024.

For a Google version of this lesson plan, click here . (Note: you will need to make a copy of the document to edit it).

In this lesson, students will explore and discuss the history and context around the Juneteenth holiday in the United States. Topics explored will include the history of racial injustice in the U.S., the Civil War and the limitations of the Emancipation Proclamation. Additionally, students will be encouraged to explore the modern significance of Juneteenth and its long-term impact.

Estimated time

One 50-60 minute class period

Grade Level

Grades 6-12

On June 15, 2021, the Senate unanimously approved a bill approving June 19 as a federal holiday for “Juneteenth National Independence Day.” The House passed the bill one day later. Still, many Americans are still unaware of the history and significance of June 19.

On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “that all persons held as slaves” in the Confederacy “shall be free.” While this may have freed some enslaved people on paper, the reality was much more complicated.

Source: PBS NewsHour via Associated Press

For instance, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed those slaves held under the Confederacy, not in border states loyal to the Union, including Kentucky, West Virginia and Delaware, where slavery was still legal after the Emancipation Proclamation. In fact, slavery was still legal in Kentucky until Dec. 1865, when the 13th Amendment was passed, though Kentucky voted against ratifying the amendment.

Confederate states and slaveholders also resisted emancipation, and many people remained enslaved in Confederate states after the proclamation, even as many enslaved people fought for their freedom or escaped behind Union lines. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union issued an order in Galveston, Texas, alerting all enslaved persons that they were legally free.

At this point in 1865, Texas was the westernmost state in America and one of the last Confederate states to be occupied by the Union. Many slaveholders had fled Union advances in other parts of the South to Texas, along with the people they had enslaved.

While it took time for the logistics of “freeing” enslaved people to come into effect, the importance of June 19, or “Juneteenth” lived on. Considering how complicated emancipation was, many dates were considered for holding celebrations of emancipation, but over 150 years later, June 19 remains.

What originally was a holiday mainly observed by Texans has grown to be recognized all over the country. Each year on “Juneteenth,” (or more formally Juneteenth National Freedom Day), communities all around the United States gather and celebrate and reflect on the history of slavery and struggle for civil rights and equality, including the work that still remains after conditional advances such as the Emancipation Proclamation.

Warm up activity

As a class, watch the BrainPop video (8 minutes) below found here introducing Juneteenth. While watching the video, answer the following discussion questions.

Source: BrainPop

Discussion questions:

• What is “Juneteenth”? What does it celebrate?
• Why did it take so long for enslaved peoples in Texas to finally be free? What obstacles existed?
• What were some of the forms of discrimination against newly freed people mentioned in the video?
• What is the Great Migration?
• How did Juneteenth become a national, not just regional, celebration?

After watching the video, separate into groups of 3-4 to discuss the focus questions (5 minutes).

Main activities:

• Why was June 19th chosen as the date to celebrate the freedom of all Americans? What were some of the drawbacks to other dates? Can you make an argument for why you think a different date might have been better and/or worse?
• Gates describes several reasons why Juneteenth struggled to be remembered at times, and why it was able to endure. Compare and contrast what the BrainPop video included as reasons why Juneteenth struggled and endured with what Gate’s emphasizes. What do you think were the most important factors in Juneteenth’s momentum and remembrance continuing?
• “When did they start recognizing Juneteenth, if at all?”
• “What was the process of Juneteenth becoming a holiday in my state?”
• If Juneteenth isn’t recognized in your state, see if you can answer, “Why is Juneteenth not recognized?”
• This search engine for state and local government websites
• The Library of Congress

Additional activities

• Brainstorm or plan a Juneteenth celebration activity. This can be decorating a common area, bringing in a relevant local speaker or planning a refreshment break for your school. Juneteenth celebrations can be in the home, at school or in community locations. For more inspiration see these resources:
• “ How to Celebrate ” from Juneteenth.com
• See how others are celebrating Juneteenth on Twitter .
• Some activists feel ambivalent about Juneteenth becoming a national holiday, or reject the idea. To learn more about the nuances surrounding making Juneteenth a federal holiday, watch this NewsHour interview with Dr. Mark Anthony Neal recorded in 2020 amid the George Floyd protests.

• The day now known as Juneteenth was formally recognized as a national holiday in 2021, due in large part to the activism of retired teacher Opal Lee. Learn more about Lee's activism and the message of Juneteenth in this NewsHour interview with Opal Lee.

If classrooms finish and plan a celebratory activity, please share your ideas with us on social media @NewsHourEXTRA on Twitter.

This lesson was written by Cecilia Curran, NewsHour Classroom intern, while she was a rising sophomore at Amherst College. This lesson was edited by NewsHour Classroom's education producer and former history teacher Vic Pasquantonio.

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.

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Juneteenth is America’s second Independence Day—here’s why

Observed on June 19, the nation’s newest federal holiday commemorates the end of slavery in Texas. Here’s how it came to be celebrated nationwide.

Juneteenth is known to some in the United States as the country’s “ second Independence Day .” Observed each year on June 19, the holiday marks the end of slavery in Texas at the end of the Civil War .  

For more than 150 years, African American communities across the country have observed this holiday—from social gatherings in Emancipation Parks to church services and other events. But Juneteenth has increasingly been celebrated nationwide; in 2021 it became the first new federal holiday since the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. How did that happen? Here’s a look at the history of Juneteenth.

What does Juneteenth actually celebrate?

At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect and declared enslaved people in the Confederacy free—on the condition that the Union won the war. The proclamation turned the war into a fight for freedom and by the end of the war 200,000 Black soldiers had joined the fight , spreading news of freedom as they fought their way through the South.  

( Read about the history of Juneteenth with your kids .)

Union leader Gordon Granger told the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas that they were free on June 19, 1865—a day that African American communities have commemorated ever since.

Since Texas was one of the last strongholds of the South, emancipation would be a long-time coming for enslaved people in the state. Even after the last battle of the Civil War was fought in 1865—a full two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed—it is believed that many enslaved people still did not know they were free. As the story goes, some 250,000 enslaved people only learned of their freedom after Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and announced that the president had issued a proclamation freeing them.  

( Here’s why Juneteenth is a celebration of hope .)

On that day, Granger declared, “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.”

How is Juneteenth celebrated?

With Granger’s announcement, June 19—which would eventually come to be known as Juneteenth—became a day to celebrate the end of slavery in Texas. As newly freed Texans began moving to neighboring states, Juneteenth celebrations spread across the South and beyond.

Early Juneteenth celebrations included church services, public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, and social events like rodeos and dances.  

( Learn how to cook Juneteenth cookies . )

For decades, many southern Black communities were forced to celebrate Juneteenth on the outskirts of town due to racism and Jim Crow laws. To ensure they had a safe place to gather, Juneteenth groups would often collectively purchase plots of land in the city on which to celebrate. These parks were commonly named Emancipation Parks, many of which still exist today.

As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s, Juneteenth celebrations faded . In recent years, however, Juneteenth has regained popularity and is often celebrated with food and community. It also has helped raise awareness about ongoing issues facing the African-American community, including a political fight for reparations , or compensation, to the descendants of victims of slavery.

How did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?

In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize June 19 as a state holiday, which it did with legislation.  

Juneteenth gained awareness in recent years as activists have pushed for state and federal recognition. Today, Juneteenth is recognized by nearly every state, and it is a public holiday in more than half of them , meaning that government offices are closed.

In 2021, efforts to gain federal recognition for Juneteenth finally came to fruition when U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that officially designates Juneteenth a U.S. federal holiday.  

Is Juneteenth the same as Emancipation Day?

Despite the holiday’s resurgence in popularity, Juneteenth is often confused with Emancipation Day, which is annually celebrated on April 16.

Just as Juneteenth originally celebrated freedom in Texas, Emancipation Day specifically marks the day when President Lincoln freed some 3,000 enslaved people in Washington, D.C .—a full eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation and nearly three years before those in Texas would be freed.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on June 19, 2019. It has been updated.

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The History of Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free. A century and a half later, people across the United States continue to celebrate the day, which is now a federal holiday.

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

This article was originally published in 2020. It was updated in 2024.

Juneteenth , an annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War, has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s.

President Biden signed legislation in 2021 that made Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, a federal holiday, after interest in the day was renewed during the summer of 2020 and the nationwide protests that followed the police killings of Black Americans including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .

There has been a noticeable increase in Juneteenth celebrations across the United States over the past few years.

Here’s a brief guide to Juneteenth.

How did Juneteenth begin?

On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier, on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.

The holiday is also called “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.”

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The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday

FILE - People hold a sign in their car during a car parade to mark Juneteenth on June 19, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. Communities all over the country will be marking Juneteenth, the day that enslaved Black Americans learned they were free. For generations, the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history has been recognized with joy in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. Yet, the U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)

FILE - Dancer Prescylia Mae, of Houston, performs during a dedication ceremony for the massive mural “Absolute Equality” in downtown Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 2021. Communities all over the country will be marking Juneteenth, the day that enslaved Black Americans learned they were free. For generations, the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history has been recognized with joy in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. Yet, the U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, File)

FILE - Sam Collins III, left, and others celebrate at the Juneteenth historical marker on June 17, 2021, in Galveston, Texas, after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Communities all over the country will be marking Juneteenth, the day that enslaved Black Americans learned they were free. For generations, the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history has been recognized with joy in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. Yet, the U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, File)

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Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth , marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts.

The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday .

And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures — political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation’s racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.

Celebrating Juneteenth

• Civil rights lawyer and jazz pianist Bryan Stevenson and Pulitzer-winning jazz artist Wynton Marsalis are debuting a new live performance album of historic jazz records. Read more here.
• For beginners and those brushing up on history, here are some answers on how to celebrate Juneteenth.

Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.

How did Juneteenth start?

The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.

Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn’t tell the people he enslaved what had happened.

“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”

News that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “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.”

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later, when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

What does ‘Juneteenth’ mean?

It’s a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day.

It began with church picnics and speeches, and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.

Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well . Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.

Opal Lee , a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes” walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.

Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.

Opal Lee, left, who helped make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday, poses with her portrait after it was unveiled in the Texas Senate Chamber, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

How have Juneteenth celebrations evolved over the years?

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.

Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education , with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such health care inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days.

Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.”

The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday

It was only in 2021 that president biden signed a bill passed by congress to set aside juneteenth, or june 19, as a federal holiday, published june 16, 2023 • updated on june 18, 2023 at 4:08 pm.

Americans will soon celebrate Juneteenth , marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts.

The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures — political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation's racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.

Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.

HOW DID JUNETEENTH START?

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The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.

Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn't tell the people he enslaved what had happened.

“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”

News that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “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.”

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

WHAT DOES 'JUNETEENTH’ MEAN?

It's a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day.

It began with church picnics and speeches and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.

Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well. Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.

Opal Lee , a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes" walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.

Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.

‘Grandmother of Juneteenth' Opal Lee Is Honored With Portrait in the Texas Capitol

History of Juneteenth

3 Books That Celebrate the Black Experience to Read This Juneteenth

How have juneteenth celebrations evolved over the years.

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983 when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.

Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such as healthcare inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days.

Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.”

This article tagged under:

The Long History of Our New Federal Holiday: Juneteenth

On June 19th, 1865, over 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas received news of their emancipation, marking a significant milestone in American history. This pivotal event commemorated the birth of Black Independence Day, a celebration embraced by African Americans across the nation.

Following the end of the Civil War, Juneteenth celebrations emerged as a tradition among formerly enslaved individuals and their families. These celebrations initially took place in Texas but spread to other states where Black communities resided. Activities during the festivities included religious services, storytelling, singing, games, and BBQs. A significant tradition was the symbolic act of discarding the garments worn during enslavement into a river, representing a visual separation from bondage. It experienced a resurgence during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. However, the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020 brought national attention to Juneteenth’s significance. The widespread support for recognizing Juneteenth stems from the acknowledgment that it represents America as a nation deeply committed to principles of human freedom and equality. 

On June 17, 2021 President Joe Biden signed, with Members of Congress, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act at the White House. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday also gives Americans the opportunity to contemplate the complicated processes of emancipation that took place after President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. Specifically, Juneteenth marks the day (June 19, 1865) when a Union Army general, Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and demanded that the state’s 250,000 plus enslaved people be set free.

To communicate this demand, Granger read aloud General Order No. 3:

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 freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages.

In other words, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas did not know about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation until this Union army general arrived two and a half years later and announced it to the public. A delayed awareness of the Emancipation Proclamation was the reality for many enslaved people in the South. It was not until the Union Army swept through the South in 1863 and 1864 that news of the Proclamation spread—and populations of enslaved people across the South were able to celebrate their freedom. Only the action of Congress to pass the 13th Amendment and the ratification by the necessary number of states on December 6, 1865, officially abolished slavery in every state, not just those in open rebellion.

However, slavery lingered in the South because many in the former Confederacy resisted paying the newly freed people. Erin Stewart Mauldin, a professor of history at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg observes that “though slavery ends, the conditions for many change very little initially.” As such, the struggle for freedom evolved into a serious struggle for economic independence. Remembering emancipation and all of its complexities—its successes and its shortcomings—is key for working towards equity and equal rights today. Mauldin believes that a nationwide recognition of Juneteenth is crucial:

It is immensely important to remember the difficulties of fighting and securing even the smallest measures of freedom … Juneteenth has become a symbol for emancipation and provides a highly visible celebration that does get at these difficult conversations of America’s racial history.

But Juneteenth is not just about building historical awareness and self-education. It is also clearly a holiday for Black Americans. It was only a year after the events at Galveston that formerly enslaved Black people and their families began gathering and celebrating their freedom. This tradition began in Texas, but quickly spread to other Southern states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, and California. These celebrations involved religious services, oral story-telling events, singing, and games, and often centered around eating—like at a barbeque. Another common tradition involved dressing up, which was particularly important because many enslaved people in America were strictly prohibited from wearing clothes besides the rags they were given. At these early Juneteenth celebrations, formerly enslaved people ceremoniously tossed their rags into the river, and put on clothes they stole from their former slave owners. Historically, then, Juneteenth is a holiday for formerly enslaved Black Americans and their descendants to celebrate their freedom through acts of symbolic resistance against American white supremacy.

While celebrations of Juneteenth go back to 1866, the effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday is fairly recent. Juneteenth celebrations revived during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. But it was only last year that U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) pushed for federal recognition during the height of that summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

The bill didn’t make it through Congress, but this year proved different. Representative Jackson Lee responded thusly:

I think Juneteenth tells a wonderful story. It’s a story of freedom. It happened two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, but it still set a pathway of freedom. Who are we as a nation, if you’re frightened about freedom and liberation and joy?

While Juneteenth doesn’t eliminate structural racism in America, recognizing it as a federal holiday is a crucial step towards bringing the rich history of Black Americans into the center of both our history and identity.

Written by guest contributor Anna Biesecker-Mast, a student at the University of Dayton studying History and English; and minoring in Religious Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies. Edited by U.S. Capitol Historical Society staff.

https://juneteenth.com/history/ https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-juneteenth-and-why-is-it-celebrated-2834603 https://www.npr.org/2021/06/16/1007340587/house-passes-a-bill-to-commemorate-juneteenth-as-a-federal-holiday https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/us/politics/juneteenth-federal-holiday-senate.html https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/13th-amendment  

More Resources:

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United States Capitol Historical Society

200 Maryland Avenue NE Washington, D.C. 20002 p. 202-543-8919 p. 800-887-9318 f. 202-525-2790

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The nineteenth of June changed the history of the United States and of millions of people: it was the day that so many slaves had waited for generations. On that day on 1865, Texas was informed that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were freed. It might seem surprising, since Lincoln’s Emancipation proclamation had been established two years prior, but the delay was caused by the lack of military forces to establish the new rules in Texas. Do you want to explain the history of this important day? Then this template is exactly what you need! It has a lot of resources that can be useful when speaking about dates, locations, and events. Furthermore, the design is colourful and the funny typography conveys the festive feeling of this commemorative day.

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Where will Delaware celebrate Juneteenth 2024? 8 must-see events that you can attend

Although Juneteenth, or Black Independence Day, isn't officially recognized until Wednesday, June 19, that won't stop Delawareans from hosting celebrations days before and after the holiday ends.  

For anyone wondering why is Juneteenth important, the answer is it honors the day Black slaves in Texas learned about their freedom on June 19, 1865.  

Here are eight celebrations in the Small Wonder that commemorate the end of slavery and honor African American heritage.

Winterthur hosts Juneteenth Freedom Day

Join storytellers, musicians and dancers at Winterthur to ring in Juneteenth. Most activities are included in admission and are free for members. The Wilmington Ballet and Whitney Project will grace Winterthur’s Enchanted Woods and Copeland Lecture Hall with performances inspired by African American arts and culture. 

The celebration includes a World Marketplace in Enchanted Woods featuring A Flicker of Daisy, Created by LA, CreationsbyT and Soleil Dancewear.  

Festivities start at 11 a.m. with a “Celebration of Black Joy” performance in Copeland.

The World Marketplace is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Enchanted Woods, with: 

• African dance demonstrations at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. 
• Lift Every Voice at 12:45 p.m. 
• Drum circle at 12:50 p.m. 
• Storytelling at 1:15 p.m. 
• Community dance jam at 2 p.m. 

Winterthur (5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Admission to Winterthur is $8-$25. Free for ages under 2. To register for this event or for more info, visit winterthur.org/calendar/juneteenth-freedom-day or call (800) 448-3883. 

Juneteenth Freedom Parade and Festival, Wilmington  

The Juneteenth Freedom Parade and Festival in Wilmington is back to honor the emancipation of African Americans. The event — presented by Delaware Juneteenth Association — starts Saturday, June 15, with a parade at 11 a.m. from Rodney Square (1000 N. Market St., Wilmington) down to the festival that runs from noon to 6 p.m.; it boasts music, food, fun and more at Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park (Rosa Parks Drive, Wilmington). R&B legend Christopher Williams is a guest at this year's festival. Visit Delawarejuneteenth.org or (302) 314-5863.   

Georgetown throws Juneteenth parade and celebration

Southern Delaware is celebrating the holiday on Saturday, June 15, with a parade in Georgetown (10 a.m.) and then more festivities at the Richard Allen School (316 S Railroad Ave., Georgetown) at 11 a.m. This includes Sussex County historical presentations and performances by the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, according to history.delaware.gov .  

Friends of Cooch's Bridge celebrate Juneteenth, near Newark  

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. (@kbmorrisjr)

The Friends of Cooch's Bridge Historic Site has a celebration that features local singer Nadjah Nicole and speaker Kenneth B. Morris , a descendant of two of the most famous African Americans in history: Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. Registration for this event is required.  

Cooch's Bridge Historic Site (961 Old Baltimore Pike, near Newark) at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 16. To register or for more info, visit friendsofcoochsbridge.org .  

IMAC Juneteenth observance, Wilmington  

The annual Juneteenth observance celebration and worship service includes special guest preacher the Rev. Jesse Wendell Mapson Jr. , Miss Juneteenth Delaware Erin Hubbard Witcher, and music by  Rev. Justin Powell and friends . Bishop George Gibson II is the president of IMAC (Interdenominational Ministers Action Council of Delaware).  

Cornerstone Fellowship Baptist Church (20 W. Lea Blvd., Wilmington) from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. Visit IMAC on Facebook or call (302) 777-1190. 

Journey to Freedom: A Juneteenth Celebration, New Castle  

View this post on Instagram A post shared by YWCA Delaware (@ywcade)

Guests can experience YWCA Delaware's Juneteenth-themed RSJ fundraising walk and enjoy music, games, local vendors, food and drinks and giveaways. Learn more about Juneteenth history by scanning QR Codes along the walking path. Proceeds from this event support YW’s Racial and Social Justice programming.   

Battery Park (1 Delaware St., New Castle) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Visit ywcade.org .  

African American Festival, Dover  

The "Positively Dover" Festival (also known as the African American Festival) is a longstanding event in the Capital City that continues to honor and African American heritage and culture. The festival, presented by Inner City Cultural League, offers a marketplace with various vendors, food and performances.  

Near Leg Mall (410 Legislative Ave., Dover) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Visit icclarts.org/aaf . 

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27th annual Delaware Juneteenth Pageant, Wilmington  

Young women will compete for the Miss Juneteenth Delaware crown at the 27th annual Delaware Juneteenth Pageant, highlighting a night of talent, music, and presentations from the contestants. 

the baby grand (818 N. Market St., Wilmington) at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29. Visit delawarejuneteenth.org or (302) 314-5863. 

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter  Andre Lamar  at  [email protected] . Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at  delawareonline.com/newsletters . 

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Celebrating juneteenth at the equal justice initiative, august tibits, why is crime declining, anc 8f asks board of elections to remove commissioner, celebration of life for tom kuchenberg, dcha solitation: job order contract program: general construction, students showcase achievements at h street open house, attend memorial service for raiford gaffney, capitol hill art walk, jazz it up at dc jazzfest, kick off 202 creates month thursday, capitol hill art walk 2024, discover peel haus: a premier skincare haven, right in your neighborhood, look up the district vet, off the beaten path at delaware beaches, 80 different activities in a year, the district vet: cicadas return, got lead water pipes , in the weeds, light-filled office space for rent, a tree of one’s own: tfch “friends & family” program, school gardens encourage overall learning, least restrictive education, taking the lede, a (three) banner year for chll, congratulations, grads: a letter from councilmember charles allen, opinion: what more is eleanor holmes norton waiting for, op-ed: make rfk campus a green space, opinion: change strategies or break new crime records, recall ‘a misplaced use of valuable energy’.

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The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday

It was only in 2021 that president biden signed a bill passed by congress to set aside juneteenth, or june 19, as a federal holiday, published june 16, 2023 • updated on june 18, 2023 at 3:08 pm.

Americans will soon celebrate Juneteenth , marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts.

Streaming 24/7: Watch NBC 5 local news and weather for free wherever you are

The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday.

And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures — political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation's racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.

Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.

Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.

HOW DID JUNETEENTH START?

The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.

Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn't tell the people he enslaved what had happened.

“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”

News that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “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.”

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

WHAT DOES 'JUNETEENTH’ MEAN?

It's a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day.

It began with church picnics and speeches and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.

Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well. Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.

Opal Lee , a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes" walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.

Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.

‘Grandmother of Juneteenth' Opal Lee Is Honored With Portrait in the Texas Capitol

History of Juneteenth

3 Books That Celebrate the Black Experience to Read This Juneteenth

How have juneteenth celebrations evolved over the years.

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983 when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.

Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such as healthcare inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days.

Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.”

This article tagged under:

• USA TODAY Sports

2 killed, 14 injured in shooting at Juneteenth celebration in Texas park

When Onnesha Williams heard gunshots during a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas on Saturday, she thought they were firecrackers.

But then she heard people screaming, and people in the vendor area of the event started running. Williams, a member of Black Families of Hutto, was near the parking lot when it unfolded.

Two people were killed and 14 bystanders were wounded in the shooting at the event at Old Settlers Park, located about 30 miles north of Austin. Round Rock police were still searching for a shooter and had not taken anyone into custody as of Sunday evening.

2 people killed not part of altercation surrounding shooting

The shooting started at 10:50 p.m. between two groups at the event, a Round Rock Police Department news release said.

The people directly involved in the shooting immediately fled, the release said. The people who were killed, whose names have not been released, were not part of the altercation, police said.

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services took four adults and two children, all with potentially serious injuries, to hospitals, according to a post on X by the agency.

The free, two-day Juneteenth celebration, held at the Lakeview Pavilion and festival area in Old Settlers Park, was sponsored by a nonprofit called The Voice Inc. and the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department.

Thousands attended the event, though Police Chief Allen Banks said Sunday that he did not know the exact number of attendees. The Voice Inc. did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

More: Looking to celebrate Juneteenth? Here's a list of events happening across Texas

14 people taken to hospital, investigation ongoing

The 14 people who were taken to the hospital ranged in age from 10 to 52, Banks said during a news conference Sunday evening. Most of them had been released from the hospital as of Sunday evening, and the rest were in stable condition and expected to be released "within the next day or so," Banks said.

Banks declined to release the names of the two people who died, saying that Round Rock police detectives were still talking to the families of the victims. Banks said he would release their names Monday.

Banks said an investigation into what led to the shooting is ongoing.

He said police had an “operations plan” for the Juneteenth event, as Old Settlers Park is an open park with no security point. More than 22 law enforcement personnel were assigned to the event, as well as members of the Fire Department and EMS, Banks said. Officers and volunteers were spread throughout the park, and some officers were also overseeing the crowd from surveillance towers.

“The bottom line is, regardless of the amount of security we had, we had somebody who decided to take matters in their own hands and kill two people and injure 14 other people senselessly," Banks said. "This isn’t about the police. It’s about those folks who are careless and could care less about somebody else’s life.”

Round Rock police seeking shooter

Banks said the man who police believe to be the shooter is 19 or 20 years old and 5-foot-7, has short dreadlocks and was last seen wearing a white hoodie.

Banks said anyone who comes into contact with the man should contact police immediately and not approach the man, who is believed to be "armed and dangerous."

Anyone who has video or information about the incident can call police at 512-218-5500.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest of that man.

Community members reflect on shooting at 'loving and safe event'

The celebration had been peaceful, Williams said — families relaxing and enjoying food, kids running around.

“I’m a little shocked and sad,” she said. “I can’t stop thinking about the people who lost their lives and people who were harmed and injured and all the people who saw that. In all the years I’ve attended Round Rock events, this has never happened.” 

Police stopped all the cars leaving the event to search them, Williams said.

Omega Psi Phi, a service fraternity, gives a presentation on stage at the celebration every year to award scholarships to high school seniors, said Wayne Williams, the organization’s president. He was at the celebration Saturday but declined to comment about the shooting, saying the incident was still under investigation.  

“It’s definitely sad that such a great celebration came to an end this year in this manner,” he said. “It definitely lets us know that we have some growing to do as a community at large.”  

He said he has been to the Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock frequently in the past, when no problems happened. He called the celebration a “loving and safe event where family and community come out and have a great time and different vendors come out and display what they have to offer.”  

Banks said that police officers and members of the Round Rock Fire Department immediately responded and gave medical aid to the victims, according to the news release.

“It is unfortunate that we were here celebrating a wonderful event and we have a tragedy that happens,” Banks said. “My thoughts and my prayers go out to the victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased.”

Banks thanked the Williamson County sheriff’s office, the FBI and EMS responders from Williamson and Travis counties for their support during the initial response to the incident, the release said.

Trista Moxley, a spokesperson for the FBI's San Antonio Division, confirmed that the FBI has been working with and "providing resources, support and personnel" to the Round Rock Police Department, which is leading the investigation.

"Our hearts go out to those affected by this senseless act of violence and loss of life last night," a statement shared by Moxley said. "We will continue to help however we can as the law enforcement community works together to bring these subjects to justice."

In a statement, Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan denounced the shooting and said the community stands in support of the victims.

"To the families who are mourning the loss of loved ones, please know that our entire community mourns with you," Morgan said. "We are a community that values safety, celebration and unity, and we are committed to ensuring that our community heals through this event together. We will not let this incident define us, nor will we let fear take hold."

Morgan, who joined Banks at the Sunday news conference about the shooting, said those who need crisis and mental health support can reach the Round Rock Fire Department's Crisis Response Unit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Friday, June 21, at 512-218-5501.