President Joe Biden signed legislation two years ago making Juneteenth, or June 19, our newest federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery.
For the third year in a row, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has authorized state employees to also take the day off since it’s designated at the federal level. Post offices, government buildings, courthouses, and many schools will be closed today. Most private businesses will be open, but there are exceptions, so call first before making plans.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states. Since Texas was not a major area of operations for the invading Union Army, Texas slaves had not been informed that they were free until the invasion of Texas in the closing days of the war. Slavery was formally abolished in all of the United States with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on December 6, 1865.
Observed on June 19, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the day that the news of its abolition reached slaves in Galveston, Texas, in 1965. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Juneteenth Independence Day.
The bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday passed unanimously in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Biden.
“Juneteenth is, above all, a celebration of Black freedom,” said Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07).
“It is long past time for the federal government to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday,” Sewell said when the legislation was passed into law. “I was so proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and even prouder to cast my vote for it today. Black Americans have continued to face systemic racism since we were recognized as full citizens more than 100 years ago. While this is a significant and symbolic step, we must fully grapple with the injustices of our country’s history, including the continued assault on Black Americans’ right to vote, before achieving true justice. Now is a time to recommit ourselves to that critical work and see to it that our Nation lives up to its promise of liberty and justice for all.”
The Confederate government of Texas did not announce to slaves that the Union had freed them. Following General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, and General Joseph Johnston’s surrender on April 26 (celebrated annually to this day in Alabama as Confederate Memorial Day), the Union turned its attention to the remaining Confederates in Texas.
Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, did not agree to surrender his army until May 26, 1865, when his second in command agreed to terms in negotiations in New Orleans.
Smith’s army in Galveston did not lay down their arms until June 2. Gen. Kirby Smith fled the country to Mexico and then Cuba. He returned to Virginia in November 1865 to sign an amnesty oath. The Union transported an entire army to Texas to occupy the state. It was only on June 19, 1865, that most Texas slaves learned that they had been freed.
“To me, making Juneteenth a federal holiday wasn’t just a symbolic gesture. It was a statement of fact for this country to acknowledge the origin of — original sin of slavery,” said President Biden. “To understand the war [that] was never fought over it — it wasn’t just about a Union, but it was most fundamentally about the country and freedom.”
“To remember the Emancipation Proclamation wasn’t just a document. It captured the essence of freedom that galvanized the country. It proved that some ideas are more powerful; they can’t be denied,” Biden continued. “It’s a reminder that the promise of America is we all are created equal in the image of God, and we deserve to be treated equally throughout our entire lives. We’re the most unique country in Amer- — in the world. Other countries are founded based on faith, on ethnicity, on other things — religion. But we — we are founded on an idea. An idea unlike any other country in the world, that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. While we’ve never fully lived up to that promise, we’ve never walked away from it either. On our best days, enough of us have the guts and the heart to stand up for the best in us. It matters. It really matters.”
“Juneteenth, as a federal holiday, is meant to breathe new life into the very essence of America — to make sure all Americans feel the power of this day and the progress we can make as a country; to choose love over hate, unity over disunion, and progress over retreat,” Biden continued. Choosing to remember history, not erase it; to read books, not ban them — no matter how hard some people try. That’s what’s great about it. That’s what great nations do. And we’re a great nation.”
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a good venue for families to learn about the history of slavery and civil rights. BCRI celebrated Juneteenth on Saturday with performers and a cookout, but usually, BCRI is closed on Mondays.
For most Alabamians, this is a festive time of year with many holidays. The unofficial start of Summer begins in late May with Memorial Day. Two weeks ago, state employees got another three-day weekend celebrating Jefferson Davis’s birthday. Now federal and state workers have today off for Juneteenth. The Fourth of July, the Independence Day holiday, is just two weeks away.
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