Juneteenth – also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day – is an American holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America.
The first emancipation was declared in Texas on June 19, 1865, which became the well-known celebration date. However, not all southern states declared emancipation at the same time. During the American Civil War, the different state emancipations – which are often called a Jubilee – occurred on July 4, August 1, April 6, September 22, and November 1.
Even though the event is popularly thought of as “the end of slavery,” there were two Union border states (Delaware and Kentucky) that did not declare emancipation several months later, on December 18, 1865, when ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment was announced.
On June 19, 1866, a year after the announcement, freedmen in Texas organized the first annual celebration of “Jubilee Day”. In the early days, they took that opportunity to use the celebrations as political rallies to give voting instructions to the newly freed slaves which often occurred on January 1 or 4.
In 1996, the first legislation to recognize “Juneteenth Independence Day” was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by H.J Res. 195 and Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI). Currently, activists are still pushing Congress to recognize June-teenth as a nation holiday, along with organizations such as National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, are seeking a Congressional designation of Juneteenth as a national day of observance.
Even though it is not recognized officially byy the federal government, the holiday has gained mainstream awareness on entertainment media and local celebrations throughout ommunities. These typically consist of lectures, exhibitions, and parades. The holiday is considered the longest-running African American holiday and is also known as America’s second Independence Day.