Juneteenth By Dekeesha Levine:
What is Juneteenth?
On June 19th, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure that all slaves were freed. The arrival happened 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Texas was the last Confederate state where the proclamation was announced, and the first to recognize the date of June 19 – Juneteenth – statewide. This day honors the end of slavery in the United States. 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. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a National Independence Day and a U.S. federal holiday. Juneteenth is considered the longest running African American Holiday in the United States.
What this Day Symbolizes:
Juneteenth symbolizes freedom for African Americans. A freedom that brought forth a new and brighter future. Even though Jim Crow laws made life unbearable for African Americans, we still were free. Free to live our lives and plan futures. To become educated, work for a wage, buy property, start families, and accumulate wealth. Because of Juneteenth people of color were now able to achieve what they wanted. If not for this day, there would be many setbacks for African Americans still to this day. Even though the world is not perfect, people of color are still striving for a better day. It is because of this freedom Juneteenth represents that we can thrive forward. This day marks a new beginning for African Americans as the fight for equality continues.
Why should every American want to Celebrate?
We celebrate Juneteenth not only because it was the end to slavery, but to also remember all those who did not live to see this day. We remember those who fought for this day and those who continue to advocate for equality. We celebrate Juneteenth to honor African American culture and to educate those who are not familiar with the significance of this day! Juneteenth is an opportunity to recognize the struggles we have gone through as people of color, the heights we have achieved, and the realization that we continue to be a work in progress, always striving together toward that beautiful vision of a nation that our Founders knew we could one day be.
Let's celebrate this Independence Day with food, joy, laughter, and love!!!!
Dekeesha Levine is a Case Manager at at Open Health Care Clinic
