JUNE 19, 1865
The Inaugural Juneteenth Emancipation Celebration in Jacksonville, Florida
The MLK Memorial Foundation, Southern Movement Assembly, and The New Jim Crow Movement
June 14, 2013 Through June 16, 2013
RiversidePark
(Park and Post Streets)
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas,General Order Number 3which began most significantly with:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known asFreedom DayorEmancipation Day, is a holiday in theUnited Statesthat commemorates the announcement of theabolitionof slaveryin theU.S. stateofTexasin 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a combination of Juneandnineteenth,and is recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 42 states of theUnited States.
The state ofTexasis widely considered the first U.S. state to begin Juneteenth celebrations with informal observances taking place for over a century; it has been an official state holiday since 1980. It is considered a "partial staffing holiday", meaning that state offices do not close, but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off. Schools are not closed, but most public schools in Texas are already into summer vacation by June 19th. Its observance has spread to many other states, with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries.
As of May 2013, forty-two (42) U.S. statesand the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or state holiday observance; these are Alabama, Alaska,Arkansas, California,Colorado, Connecticut,Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,Kentucky,Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey,New Mexico, New York,North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,Vermont,Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Eight U.S. states have not recognized Juneteenth:Arizona,Hawaii,Maryland,Montana,New Hampshire,North Dakota,South Dakota, andUtah.
ThoughAbraham Lincolnissued theEmancipation Proclamationon September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in theConfederate States of America.Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the dayUnionGeneralGordon Grangerand 2,000 federal troops arrived inGalveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, while standing on the balcony of Galveston’sAshton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. Thefreedmenare advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
That day has since become known asJuneteenth, a name coming from aportmanteauof the wordJuneand the suffix,"teenth", as in "Nineteenth"
Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year. Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities and increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — includingHouston’s EmancipationPark,Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and EmancipationPark inAustin. In Arkansas, the small town of Wilmar has consistently observed "June Dinner" from almost the time of the Emancipation, well over one hundred years (except for one year during the Great Depression).
Traditions include an enunciated public reading of the Emancipation Proclamation as a reminder that the slaves have been proclaimed free. The events are celebratory and festive. Many African-American families use this opportunity to retrace their ancestry to the ancestors who were held in bondage for centuries, exchange artifacts, debunk family myths, and stress responsibility and striving to be the best you can be.
Celebrants often sing traditional songs as well such asSwing Low, Sweet Chariot;Lift Every Voice and Sing; and poetry from black authors likeMaya Angelou.Juneteenth celebrations also include a wide range of festivities to celebrate American heritage, such as parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, or park parties that include such things asAfrican-American musicanddancing or contests of physical strength and intellect.
Some of the events may includeblack cowboys,historical reenactments, orMiss Juneteenth contests. Traditional American sports may also be played such as baseball, football, or basketball tournaments.
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Juneteenth's Decline and Resurgence
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States and has been an African-American tradition since the late 19th century.Economic and cultural forces caused a decline in Juneteenth celebrations beginning in the early 20th century. The Depression forced many blacks off farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate this date. July 4 was the already established Independence Day holiday, and a rise in patriotism among black Americans steered more toward this celebration.
TheCivil Rights movementof the 1950s and 1960s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African-American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors.
Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence throughPoor Peoples Marchto Washington, D.C.Rev. Ralph Abernathy’scall for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent of such activity. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Juneteenth continued to enjoy a growing interest from communities and organizations throughout the country as African Americans have an interest to see that the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten. Many see roots tying back to Texas soil from which all remaining American slaves were finally granted their freedom.
Modern Juneteenth Movement
Most recently in 1994, the era of the "Modern Juneteenth Movement" began when a group of Juneteenth leaders from across the country gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, at Christian Unity Baptist Church to work for greater national recognition of Juneteenth. The meeting was convened by Rev. John Mosley, director of the New Orleans Juneteenth Freedom Celebration.
Several national Juneteenth organizations were ignited from this gathering beginning with the National Association of Juneteenth Lineage (NAJL), followed by the National Juneteenth Celebration Association (NJCA), the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC), and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF). Shortly before this gathering, Juneteenth America, Inc. (JAI) was founded by John Thompson, who organized the first National Juneteenth Convention & Expo, and the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF) founded by Ben Haith, the creator of the National Juneteenth Flag.
In 1996, inspired by the rich history and the desire to support Juneteenth celebrants world wide, the global Web portal Juneteenth.com, was established to facilitate communication and sharing of ideas between Juneteenth participants and supporters. However, the global Web portal Juneteenth.com has never provided support to the "Modern Juneteenth Movement" in legislative efforts to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance in all 50 states and a national holiday observance by the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States.
In 1997, through the leadership of Lula Briggs Galloway, president of the NAJL, andRev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., chairman of the NAJL, the U.S. Congress officially passed historic legislation[19]recognizing Juneteenth as "Juneteenth Independence Day" in America.
In 2000, the annual Washington Juneteenth National Holiday Observance and the campaign to establish Juneteenth Independence Day as a National Day of Observance was established. As of 2012, 41 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to officially recognize Juneteenth.The annual Congressional Juneteenth Reception, hosted by members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, was established as a part of the Washington Juneteenth National Holiday Observance.
On the "19th of June", 2000, Juneteenth leaders stood with Congressman Tony Hall (D-OH) as historic Apology for Slavery legislation was announced at the U.S. Capitol during the 1st National Day of Reconciliation & Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement.This was followed by the 1st World Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement, on the "20th of August", in Richmond, Virginia, in 2010.The "Modern Juneteenth Movement" continues to work to pass legislation in the U.S. Congress to establish Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance.
Beginning in 2010, the annual Galveston Juneteenth National Holiday Observance includes a National Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony and prayer service behind historic Ashton Villa building. Juneteenth Flag raising occur in cities across America, including Boston, Massachusetts, Dallas, Texas, Omaha, Nebraska, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
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Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day
Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, American slavery came to an end and a celebration of freedom was born
Smithsonian.com, June 16, 2011
The official Juneteenth Committee in EastWoodsPark, Austin, Texas on June 19, 1900. (CourtesyAustinHistoryCenter, Austin Public Library)
America’s birthday is fast approaching. But let’s not wait for July 4th to light the fireworks. There is another Independence Day on the horizon.
Juneteenth falls on June 19 each year. It is a holiday whose history was hidden for much of the last century. But as the nation now observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s onset, it is a holiday worth recognizing. In essence, Juneteenth marks what is arguably the most significant event in American history after independence itself—the eradication of American slavery.
For centuries, slavery was the dark stain on America’s soul, the deep contradiction to the nation’s founding ideals of “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and “All men are created equal.” When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he took a huge step toward erasing that stain. But the full force of his proclamation would not be realized until June 19, 1865—Juneteenth, as it was called by slaves in Texas freed that day.
The westernmost of the Confederate states, Texas did not get news of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomatox that April until two months after the fact. But they heard once Union Gen. Gordon Granger, a New Yorker and West Point graduate with a distinguished wartime service record, arrived in GalvestonBay with more than 2,000 Union troops. It was on June 19 that he publicly read General Order No. 3, which began: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
In amazement and disbelief, the 250,000 former slaves in Texas learned that they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, which could not be enforced until the war was over. (It applied only to the states “in rebellion” at the time it was issued.) Shocked, disoriented, most likely fearful of an uncertain future in which they could do as they pleased, the liberated slaves of Texas celebrated. Their moment of jubilee was spontaneous and ecstatic, and began a tradition of marking freedom on Juneteenth.
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A grass-roots celebration highlighted by joyous singing, pig roasts, and rodeos, Juneteenth took root in many African-American communities during the late 19th century. But Juneteenth was never accorded official respect or recognition. In the bitterness of the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, few states of the former Confederacy had any interest in celebrating emancipation. And as many African-Americans migrated north, especially in the Depression era, Juneteenth became a largely forgotten vestige of the Civil War era.
Over the past few decades, however, there has been a movement to revive this celebration of more complete freedom in America. Today, 39 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth, although most don’t grant it full “holiday” status. A Congressional resolution also underscores the historical significance of “Juneteenth Independence Day.” And museums (including some of those that make up the Smithsonian Institution), now mark Juneteenth with annualprogramming.
Before emancipation, America’s slaves and anyone else who prized equality, freedom and liberty knew that the Declaration of Independence only meant equality, freedom, and liberty for some. “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist and escaped slave, asked in his Independence Day oration in 1852. “I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is constant victim.”
This year, let’s remember Juneteenth, the holiday that doesn’t mark a document, a battle, a birthday or a national tragedy, but the fundamental promise of America being more completely realized—the day on which Thomas Jefferson’s rousing rhetoric finally rang true throughout America, for all Americans.
STATES THAT RECOGNIZE JUNEETH AS A STATE HOLIDAY OR STATE HOLIDAY OBSERVANCE
AlabamaAlaskaArkansasCalifornia
ColoradoConnecticutDelawareFlorida
GeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndiana
IowaKansasKentuckyLouisiana
MaineMassachusettsMichiganMinnesota
MississippiMissouriNebraskaNevada
New JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth Carolina
OhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvania
Rhode IslandSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexas
VermontVirginiaWashingtonWest Virginia
WisconsinWyoming
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Juneteenth Celebration 2013
Please help us celebrate the continuation of the Juneteenth Festival in Jacksonville, Florida beginning Friday, June 14th through Sunday, June 16th 2013 at the RiversidePark (Park and Post Streets)
FRIDAYJune 14th
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. / SATURDAY
June 15th
12:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m. / SUNDAY
June 16th
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Juneteenth Prayer Breakfast @ Historic New Mt.Zion AMEC / Pray/Libation/Drums / Church Worship @ RiversidePark
No Activity / Opening Ceremony/History of Juneteenth / ChoirFest
No Activity / Hand-Clapping Activity / Buffalo Soldier History
No Activity / Juneteenth Music / Community Economic Empowerment
No Activity / Soap Box / Salute to Fatherhood
No Activity / Old School Dance Contest / CommunityTown Hall Meeting
No Activity / Movie – Daughters of the Dust / No Activity
No Activity / MC Contest & Hip Hop Dance Contest / No Activity
Old School Dance @ / Closing Ceremony / Closing Ceremony
African-American Emancipation Celebration
Information, Vending, or Sponsorship
Contact:Aleta Alston-Toure’ at (904) 631-1674
Gary Thomas at (904) 463-2425
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