The Nationalization of Juneteenth

The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln on September 22nd, 1863, had declared that “all persons held within said designated states...shall be free.” These “designated states,” were strictly outlined to include that of the Confederate States of America, the states against the Union. While it was known that more Black people in the North were free than that of the South, this proclamation did not guarantee the freedom of all Black people, despite becoming a symbol of that for children and adults alike in the United States. This brings us to Juneteenth, a holiday celebrated for many generations among the Black community in the United States that truly symbolizes and celebrates a freedom found on June 19th, 1865, when Union/Federal troops came to Texas to ensure the freedom of slaves by taking control of the state two years after The Emancipation Proclamation was signed (Nix, 2021). This holiday, despite being celebrated as “Jubilee Day” since 1866, finally became nationalized on June 17th, 2021, with Congress’s and President Biden’s approval; however, this has been met with mixed emotions from the Black community (Nix, 2021).

Growing up as a mixed kid in both predominantly white and black school districts, I’ve observed that neither of these environments included the teachings of Juneteenth, rather, the stress that slavery was over on the day which Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation was made known, accompanied with happy coloring sheets of freed slaves and cartoons of black and white people smiling together. The New York Times “The 1916 Project,” a beautifully curated and ongoing piece detailing the depth in American history through the lens of slavery has been considered by lawmakers to be banned in the classrooms of states around the nation as of this year, and yet the progression to nationalize Juneteenth after the 2020 relaunch of the Black Lives Matter movement was appraised as if a solution was in place, as if the initiative was made to incorporate Black history in schools was made, the teachings that should have come before the initiative to nationalize the holiday (Schwartz, 2021). As it appeared that the lack of lawful change in benefit of the Black community was intended to be satisfied with the symbolic nationalization of Juneteenth, many in the community expressed this sentiment through platforms such as Twitter and TikTok on June 17th of this year. A TikTok that had stuck in my mind is accredited to @jevontee, who posted in reference to Juneteenth’s nationalization an eerily relevant quote by the late Black rights activist Malcolm X that, “The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and real justice.” In the world where a case of police brutality toward a Black person tomorrow would not seem irregular, this quote has unfortunately proven to stand the test of time.

On the other hand, many within the Black community have expressed joy and appreciation toward the nationalization of Juneteenth, thanking President Biden and Congress for taking a step toward the celebration of Black freedom for not just only the Black community, but the entire nation. As we know that as a community, we have always contributed significantly to all aspects of how we know our nation today, to take that first step to ensure that we have more opportunities to celebrate together our contributions is something worth being joyous about. For myself, I celebrated Juneteenth for the first time as a second-generation African American this year, visiting my local city’s celebration of Juneteenth held by hundreds of Black vendors. To directly financially support Black businesses in my community while having a great time participating in pride and love for my community was a beautiful thing, and with the nationalization of Juneteenth, I hope that this is a regular occurrence for all, not just the Black community.

Nix, E. (2021, June 17). What Is Juneteenth? HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth

Schwartz, S. (2021, June 29). Lawmakers Push to Ban “1619 Project” From Schools. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/lawmakers-push-to-ban-1619-project-from-schools/2021/02