Juneteenth: History, Holiday, Now.

Juneteenth: What You Need to Know

Juneteenth, now in its third year as a federal holiday, celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves in the United States. Also known as "Freedom Day," it marks the day when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, over two years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.

“It commemorates the end of slavery in the United States... Juneteenth thus became this kind of powerful symbol of freedom and the long struggle for civil rights." — Dr. Tim Goler, Norfolk State University

The term “Second Independence Day” was coined for Juneteenth, which has been celebrated by Black communities for years and is now gaining wider recognition. Dr. Alan Singer, a historian at Hofstra University, notes that Black History and Juneteenth are becoming more cemented in the fabric of US education and conversation. However, he and Goler caution against the commercialization of Juneteenth, urging that it be used as a “launching pad to build a more just society.”

For more information:

• Juneteenth
• Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

By Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY

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