“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 become that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are 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.”

And on that 19th of June “Juneteenth” was born. Word spread quickly, provoking celebrations throughout the region: blacks in eastern Texas, western Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas and southern Oklahoma adopting 6/19 as the official and celebratory date of their independence. In Austin and Houston, former slaves bought up plots of land — “emancipation grounds” — specifically for the purpose of hosting future festivities. Celebrations went down in 1866, and the next year, and as blacks from the region migrated outward to the far-flung reaches of the country, they brought the celebration with them.

Nowadays, Juneteenth is ushered in from coast to coast by celebrations of all stripes: parades, baseball games, and beauty pageants; barbecues and readings of the emancipation proclamation; sermons and secular gatherings alike. Just as the date of the emancipation, June 19th, marks the annual celebration, other Southern states hold celebrations on the dates their states received the word. Mississippi does so on May 8th; Florida on May 12th; Alabama and Georgia on May 28th; and Tennessee on August 8th.

In 1980, the Texas legislature designated the 19th as a state holiday. Presently, over half the states in the country have legislated Juneteenth-oriented observances of some sort; the U.S. congress has also followed suit, designating June 19th as national Juneteenth Celebration Day.

Essentially, however, it has been culture and practice, not official commemoration, that’s kept the holiday alive and vital. The label itself, “Juneteenth,” is historically instructive, a commentary on generations of folks deprived access to the tools of literacy by slavery. In recent decades, the holiday has been the subject of several black-authored children’s books, not to mention the title of a posthumously released novel by Ralph Ellison. But mostly it’s been the parties, the gatherings, and the annual celebrations that have made it such a popular and lasting event.

Juneteenth also offers each of us, no matter our skin color, a chance to reflect on the intersection of race and class. In Seattle, an inordinate number of those most affected by poverty are black. Only five percent of the general population, African Americans make up 37 percent of those who are homeless in King County according to the 2002 One Night Count.

From Friday, June 18, to Sunday June 20, the Central Area Chamber of Commerce will celebrate Juneteenth at Pratt Park, 20th Avenue and Yesler. Real Change will be there. Come enjoy great music, barbecue, carnival rides, and a bake sale. Once again, this June another group of Americans will come to know the holiday.

Check: Juneteenth World Wide Celebration URL: http://www.juneteenth.com

An African American History link from About.com, that includes the history of Juneteenth and links to other educational sources, such as the text of the Emancipation Proclamation, events of the Civil Rights Movement, slavery in Texas, and Juneteenth.com.

A site presented by Texas State Representative Al Edwards, who wrote and lobbied for the passage of a bill in 1979, that made June 19th or Juneteenth, an official state holiday in Texas. The site includes the history of Juneteenth, as well as a biographical sketch of Representative Edwards, and information on his Juneteenth non-profit commission. Juneteenth America, Inc. (JAI)

A non-profit organization that promotes Juneteenth observance in California by sponsoring the California Juneteenth National Freedom Day Observance Senate Bill, and annual events that include Pomona Valley Juneteenth Celebration & Job Fair, and National Juneteenth Convention/Expo in Ontario, California.

National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign

URL: http://www.juneteenth.us/

Official site of the campaign to promote recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday. Includes multiple links to Juneteenth history, information and products. Juneteenth Celebration: A Local Legacy.

A brief history of Juneteenth, presented by the Library of Congress’ America’s Story from America’s Library, a site designed to make history fun, especially for young people.

A behind-the-scenes look at the compilation and editing of the novel, "Juneteenth", by Ralph Ellison, presented in a lecture at the Library of Congress in 1999, by John F. Callahan, editor of both Ellison novels, "Invisible Man" and "Juneteenth.

Note:Arizona's celebration of Juneteenth: Dates back to when Booker T. Washington spoke at Eastlake Park during a Juneteenth observance in 1911.



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