The Juneteenth celebration has been revered by many Black communities for over a century and a half. It commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they had been emancipated – two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth has grown more widely recognized outside of Black America after it was made a federal holiday in 2021. Many people take the day off from work or school, and there are numerous street festivals, fairs, concerts, and other events taking place.
Cookouts and barbecues are central to Juneteenth celebrations
People who have never given Juneteenth more than a fleeting thought may be wondering if there is a “right” way to commemorate it. It all depends on what you desire. Cookouts and barbecues are central to Juneteenth celebrations. The outdoors allowed for big, noisy reunions of previously enslaved families, many of whom had been separated, in the early days of the festival recognized as Black Americans’ actual Independence Day. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of the restricted laws known as “Black Codes,” which were imposed in Confederate states and governed whether freed slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship, and other areas of daily life.
Alan Freeman, 60, grew up in Houston, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Galveston, celebrating Juneteenth every year. He has distinct memories of smoke saturating his entire neighborhood because so many people were using their barbecue pits for celebration cookouts, and he is presenting Galveston’s first-ever Juneteenth Comedy Festival on Saturday. You may go to anyone’s house and be invited to participate in the feast, which could include grilled chicken and steak as well as various regional cuisines such as jerk meats, fried fish, and Jamaican plantains.
“It’s where I began to really see Black unity because I realized that that was the one day that African Americans considered ours,” Freeman said. “The one holiday that was ours. We didn’t have to share with anybody. And it was about freedom because what we understood is that we were emancipated from slavery. But, there were so many beautiful activities.”
Others may prefer to observe Juneteenth as a day of reflection and memory. This could include performing community service, attending an educational panel, or taking time off. The crucial thing is to give people the impression that they have choices about how to mark the occasion, according to Dr. David Anderson, a Black pastor, and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting organization that helps executives negotiate conversations that bridge racial and cultural differences.
“Just like the Martin Luther King holiday, we say it’s a day of service and a lot of people will do things. There are a lot of other people who are just ‘I appreciate Dr King, I’ll watch what’s on the television, and I’m gonna rest,’” Anderson said. “I don’t want to make people feel guilty about that. What I want to do is give everyday people a choice.”
Search online for a smorgasbord of meetings in major cities and suburbs, all with different scopes and tones
Search online for a smorgasbord of meetings in major cities and suburbs, all with different scopes and tones. Some festivals are more carnival-like, with food trucks, arts and crafts, and parades. Access to professionals in health care, finance, and community resources is likely to be available at these festivals. Concerts and fashion exhibits are also held to celebrate Black achievement and creativity. Many organizations and universities offer panels to remind people of Juneteenth’s past for those who desire to look back.
Dr. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race, said there’s no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth because you have no personal ties or you’re not Black. In fact, embrace it.
“I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,” Brown said. “It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience. … Isn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.”
If you want to bring some authenticity to your recognition of Juneteenth, educate yourself. Attending a street festival or patronizing a Black-owned business is a good start but it also would be good to “make your mind better,” Anderson said. “That goes longer than a celebration,” Anderson said. “I think Black people need to do it too because it’s new for us as well, in America. (chris180.org) But for non-Black people, if they could read on this topic and read on Black history beyond Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, that would show me that you’re really serious about growing in this area.”
Juneteenth has been variously referred to as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July, and the Second Independence Day
If you’re struggling with how to “ethically” mark the day, Brown also suggested expanding your knowledge of why the holiday matters so much. That can be through reading, attending an event or going to an African American history museum if there’s one nearby. “Have that full human experience of seeing yourself in and through the eyes of others, even if that’s not your own lived experience,” she said. “That is a radical human act that is awesome and should be encouraged and celebrated.”
Juneteenth has been variously referred to as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July, and the Second Independence Day. “Because 1776, the Fourth of July, where we’re celebrating freedom and liberty and all that, that did not include my descendants,” Brown explained. “In America, black people were still enslaved. As a result, that holiday always has a bittersweet undertone.”
