Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth
Editor: Also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the commemoration of June 19, 1865, the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, TX, learned that they were free.
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but it only applied to people in Confederate states, not those enslaved in Union-held territories (they were not freed until the proclamation of the 13th Amendment). In Texas, a Confederate state where there was little Union Army presence, slavery continued years after the Emancipation Proclamation — and even after the 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 —most enslaved people in Texas were not aware of the news. Finally, in June of 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and a contingent of Union troops landed in Galveston, Texas to tell the enslaved peoples that the Civil War had ended and that they were now free. Something worth celebrating, I’d say.
Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth
By Cate Rees-Hessel
Thanks to President Joe Biden, Juneteenth is now a national holiday, as it long should have been. Here are some meaningful ways to celebrate this historic holiday with loved ones:
- Wear a Juneteenth T-shirt – my husband and I each have one (mine is pink).
- Teach a child about actual Black history.
- Teach a child about Abraham Lincoln, a president who was not afraid to end slavery, even if it caused the Civil War.
- Attend a Juneteenth event – towns all over the country are celebrating.
- Make a donation to the Obama Foundation – obama.org or the NAACP – www.naacp.org.
- Make a donation to the United Negro College Fund – after all, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” uncf.org
- Watch “The Color Purple” or “Roots”.
- Read “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf”
- Watch “A Raisin in the Sun”.
- Check out the Juneteenth book displays at your local library.
- Look for Juneteenth museum displays.
- Have a soul food picnic.
- Read about the Obamas, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ family.
- Research Hakeem Jeffries.
- Research Cory Booker.
- Post about Junteenth on social media.
- Read about the slaves that positively affected the life of Dolley Madison.
- Wish people a blessed and happy Juneteenth.
- Do something for holiday fun: water park, bike ride, enjoy summer on this new holiday.
- Resist racism by protesting against Trump – help save our democracy.
- Read about apartheid and Nelson Mandela.
- Many Black males are targeted for crimes they do not commit – tell a Black man you love and believe in him.
- Support Black owned businesses ( add a few)
- Watch Black television shows, listen to Black radio: letsstaytogethertalkshow.com, www.soarradio.com, and visit Black social media: www.facebook.com/theofficialplussizepower/.
- Pray for President Biden’s health, and thank him for making this holiday possible.
