What is Juneteenth, and what’s new this year?

For more than a century and a half, Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States, has been sacred to Black communities.

It marks the day on June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in the country were set free by federal troops in Galveston, Texas. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation that declared it a federal holiday.

Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and what is different this year.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, a blend of June and 19th, commemorates the day in 1865, two months after the Confederate states surrendered to end the US Civil War, when a Union general arrived in Texas to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word did not reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19 when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston.

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world.

What is the significance of Juneteenth?

In the US, there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such as healthcare, inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalised on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, partyware and ice cream.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776, the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the US – especially in these racially and politically charged times.

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What is June 19th and why is it a federal holiday in the United States? | #Juneteenth #Blackhistory #Slavery #America #fyp

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Is Juneteenth a federal holiday?

It is a federal holiday.

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983 when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

According to the Pew Research Center, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognise Juneteenth as a public holiday this year, “meaning state government offices are closed and state workers have a paid day off”.

“Connecticut, Minnesota, Nevada and Tennessee have made Juneteenth a public holiday at the state level starting this year,” Pew said.

“Most states where Juneteenth is a public holiday added it to their calendars in 2020 or later. The exception is Texas. … Juneteenth has been celebrated locally in Texas since the 1860s and became an official state holiday there in 1980,” it added.

South Dakota, North Dakota and Hawaii were the last states to give the holiday formal recognition. Hawaii and North Dakota started marking Juneteenth as a day of observance in 2022. It is not yet considered a state holiday in either of these states.

What is new this year?

Biden hosted a concert on the South Lawn of the White House to commemorate the holiday this year.

The concert, the first of its kind at the White House, featured performances by singers Jennifer Hudson, Audra McDonald and Ledisi. Speaking at the event, Biden urged Americans to choose love over hate and to remember history, not erase it.

“As the past few years remind us, our freedoms have been put at risk by racism that’s still too powerful a force,” he said.

“Hate only hides, … and when given oxygen, just a little oxygen, it comes roaring back out again, and we have to … stand up and deny it the oxygen. So Juneteenth as a federal holiday is meant to breathe a new life into the very essence of America,” he added.

Early on Sunday, authorities said at least 23 people were shot, one fatally, during a gathering in a suburban Chicago parking lot that drew hundreds of people to celebrate Juneteenth.

The White House released a statement saying the “President and First Lady are thinking of those killed and injured in the shooting in Illinois last night. We have reached out to offer assistance to state and local leaders in the wake of this tragedy at a community Juneteenth celebration”.

For the first time in our Department's history, USDA raised the #Juneteenth flag in recognition that it is a symbol of both our support of those who endured slavery and our promise to center equity in our present and future. pic.twitter.com/kIZYQGNGLu

— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 16, 2023

What kinds of celebrations and events are going on around the country?

Search online, and you will find a smorgasbord of gatherings in cities, suburbs and towns, all varying in scope and tone.

Some are carnivalesque festivals with food trucks, arts, crafts and parades. People who attend might even have access to healthcare and finance professionals and community resources.

There also are concerts and fashion shows to highlight Black excellence and creativity. For those who want to look back, plenty of organisations and universities host panels to remind people of Juneteenth’s history.

In Minneapolis for a Juneteenth speech today. This is the store in front of which George Floyd was killed. The corner is now known as George Floyd Park. pic.twitter.com/SjS5jrD7yw

— Dr. Marvin Dunn (@MarvinDunn4) June 19, 2023