What is JUNETEENTH? (2021 Update)

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UPDATE June 19, 2021: HAPPY JUNETEENTH!! Today we celebrate the emancipation of American slavery! As most of us are aware, yesterday President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act , which made the observance a national holiday. Although this observance may be new to some, it has been celebrated for 156 years by the African American community.

So what is Juneteenth? Why do we celebrate? Why should we teach our children about it? This blog post will answer these questions as well as provide candid insight through a collection of interviews I conducted with Black fathers.

(Original post written June 19, 2020)

Happy Juneteenth!!! Today marks 155 years in celebration of the emancipation of American slavery!  The date was June 19, 1865 and Black slaves in Texas were finally made aware of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation; which had abolished slavery over 2 years prior!  Today African Americans still celebrate and we lovingly call it our ‘Jubilee Day’ or ‘Freedom Day’ … and guess what… I didn’t learn about it until 6 years ago! (Please don’t revoke my Black card, ha!”) 

THERE’S A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE: 

My husband and I sat down last night and had a conversation about Juneteenth and realized that both of us had only heard about Juneteenth for the first time in our adulthood.  We hadn’t learned anything of it in our grade school or college courses, and our parents had never taught us about it either.  It shouldn’t be this way! I was curious if this was true for others, so I began polling my friends, and because this weekend is Father’s Day, I was led to poll Black fathers as well. 

I reached out to some of our closest Black male family/friends to interview them about their thoughts about Juneteenth.  These men hold the titles of ‘grandfather’, ‘father’, ‘uncle’, ‘brother’, and all are father figures in some capacity.  From the conversation with my Hub he expressed that Juneteenth is important to him as a father and explained, “It’s a day that my son has to know about , it’s a day that my son should acknowledge and be proud of!”… I was excited to seek more of these thoughts from others.  Surprisingly, half of the men I polled also didn’t learn about the observance until adulthood, and two of them had no idea what it was! 

COLLECTION OF INTERVIEW RESPONSES: 

Below is a collection of interview responses from an array of fathers/father figures that each answered the question: “AS A BLACK FATHER, WHAT DOES JUNETEENTH MEAN TO YOU?”

“Juneteenth was never taught in any classroom I was in, nor celebrated throughout the years… During my military career racism was isolated but present.  Juneteenth is a sad and painful reminder of our history… this day should be a federal holiday so no one forgets.” 

“Honestly, I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve never heard of this… So much of Black history is not put out there… There needs to be a shift, not only of just eliminating racism, but giving the total history, and stop covering it up.”

“As a Black father, Juneteenth is a reminder of how slow this country is willing to accept change, and it’s my responsibility to continue sharing the history of Black people to my kids.”

“Juneteenth is underrated and underappreciated! It changed the legacy of African Americans forever! Juneteenth needs to be celebrated and recognized as a national holiday. [It] reminds me of when the Israelites were released from Egyptian captivity and had the Passover celebration and festival of unleavened bread! The only difference is we as Blacks never had an Exodus…”

“Growing up, history about Juneteenth was not that prominent in my household. Being in a military family, I was not exposed to marches, fair like events or [much of] Black culture… [It] just shows that freedom/equal rights on paper doesn’t equate to freedom/equal rights on the ground. We need to always keep the fight going…”

“It is a day representing that my daughter should receive the same opportunities as her Caucasian peers.  This day represents that my daughter should be viewed the same way other children are viewed in our country.” 

(From my 11 year old nephew) “It’s a day where we realize all the accomplishments we have done and anything we have done to help us Black people and everyone.” 

“A lot of STRONG Black people/blood/sweat/tears and finally, FREEDOM!!”

(Thank you to the interviewees for providing these heartfelt responses.)

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: 

UPDATE June 19, 2021: Keep in mind that this post was originally written in 2020, a year before Juneteenth became a national observance. The books listed are still relevant resources to aid in discussion with our little ones. Additionally, I found this recent video, “What is Juneteenth and Why Do We Celebrate?”, helpful in explaining the history of the observance to my little guy.

https://youtu.be/LLfRjW6RuDY

Today Juneteenth is acknowledged as a holiday or observance in 47 states and the District of Columbia.  However, even with this acknowledgement, so many Americans, including Black Americans, are not aware of the observance or only become aware in adulthood.  As American mommas and fathers, it’s our responsibility to advocate for change, as well as fill in the gaps by educating our children to celebrate diversity.  Please visit my blog post, Walking Away from RACISM: 3 Tips to Teach Kids About Race & Diversity, to review a list of resources to aid our children in the celebration of diversity.  In addition to this I challenge you to check out these books specific to Juneteenth: 

• Juneteenth for Mazie, by Floyd Cooper
• All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, by Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis

UPDATE June 19, 2021: Netflix recently released a series entitled “High on the Hog” (Rated TV-14), which traces the origins of African-American cuisine from Africa to Texas. The presentation includes the rich history of African Americans, including life pre-enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade, and the amazing contributions we have made to our American culture. Episode 4, entitled, “Freedom” provides insight into the observance of Juneteenth and its importance to the Black community.

This series was inspired by the New York times best seller, “High on the Hog” written by Jessica B. Harris. Grab a copy here.

APPLICABLE BIBLE VERSE: 

John 8: 36, Galatians 5:1, & Galatians 5: 13-14

With the current state of the nation’s challenges involving race and diversity, Black mommas, fathers, and our supportive cohorts must be intentional in teaching the meaning of Juneteenth to continue the narrative of celebrating difference.  It’s a shame that our school systems don’t teach this and I charge us all to take responsibility in educating our children to ensure the history surrounding this day is not lost from generation to generation.  Happy Juneteenth and Happy Father’s Day!  Looking forward to our next chat as we share REAL LIFE, FROM ONE MOM TO ANOTHER!

References: 

Congressional Research Service. (2020). Juneteenth: Fact sheet. Congressional Research Service Report. Retrieved from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44865.pdf