The Enlightenment

Happy Juneteenth, everyone!

Since 2021, Juneteenth is a federally recognized holiday in the United States. The holiday marks the date that Union General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas and issued an Order informing the Confederate state of Texas that slavery was abolished on June 19th, 1865, a couple of months after the main Confederate army, which had fought for four years to preserve slavery, surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia.

Although the holiday has been federally recognized in the US since 2021, the holiday dates back to 1866, and has long been considered a Texas holiday. The holiday is a historic celebration of the African-American struggle against white supremacy and a celebration of African-American culture.

HOWEVER: there is a widely held misconception that Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in America. This is incorrect. As historian and former President of the NAACP-King County Branch Carl Mack explained on the June 19th, 2021 episode of the Roland Martin Unfiltered show:

“I ask you to remember, what was going on in Kentucky and Delaware, after the Civil War? What was going on in Kentucky and Delaware after Juneteenth? I’ll tell you, Roland; there were 225,000 of our ancestors still enslaved and they did not taste freedom until December 6th, 1865, when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify the 13th Amendment.” (5:31-5:55)

On January 1st, US President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery only in the territories in rebellion, i.e. the Confederate States of America. Several states that did not secede still allowed slavery, and hundreds of thousands of slaves remained in bondage in those states until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, on December 6th, 1865.

But even the 13th Amendment does not fully abolish slavery. The Amendment reads that:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States…”

Which is why you see so many states exploit prisoners for work, paying them 10 cents an hour (not dollars, cents) because in the United States, you can still technically be a slave if you’re convicted of a crime.

So that’s the history of Juneteenth: the day the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in Confederate Texas. The end to slavery would come on December 6th.

This Juneteenth, let’s not give up the opportunity to celebrate the momentous occasion the event represents and African-American culture more broadly. Let’s also use the day to learn and to continue the fight for equality and freedom that has not yet been won.

Image by discan.