The One About Juneteenth

As I was starting to write this blog, I honestly found myself having a bit of trouble. With everything going on today, how do I reflect those feelings in this entry, without making a topic about a Celebration feel so heavy? Well, I decided to give a little back ground information on the history of ‘Juneteenth’. So stay tuned as I try and make this as concise as possible.

Let’s start on even grounding and begin with a historical event that we all know, the Emancipation Proclamation. Now most of us, if not all, knows how the story goes. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation declaring all the enslaved blacks in the rebellious states were now “free-men”. No longer slaves, former slaves now had the opportunity to learn to be regular members of society.

Yay!...

…Or not.

This was the simplified version of what I remember learning in both middle and high school. Nowhere in our books, did the “Scholars” mention Juneteenth. (Talk about a major erasure of important history.)

Now, fast forward a few years and I see a couple of users on social media mention celebrating the holiday. I was completely shocked if I’m being honest. Essentially they were speaking of a sort of “Independence Day” for those who were enslaved, and that’s when I became curious.

After looking it up on my own, here’s what I learned. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued January 1,1863, many weren’t aware that they had become freed until 2 ½ years later. Black Union soldiers, arriving in Galveston, Texas, on June 19th, received word of the proclamation made two years prior. As you could imagine, there were many mixed emotions. Some overjoyed and some fearful, both accurate responses in my opinion. After learning of the news, the previously enslaved chose June 19th to celebrate their newfound freedom. I wish I could say they were able to celebrate openly and freely, but it wasn’t that easy.

Many were still hunted down and persecuted, despite legal status. Even with the same constant danger always around them, they CHOSE to celebrate freedom anyways. And that’s where our current holiday began.

If there’s one constant in the history of our people, it’s the ability to PERSEVERE and find joy in many tragic situations. They knew they couldn’t celebrate openly, so they did so among themselves. Festivities took place around rivers and creeks. They threw away the old rags they used as clothing into the waters, and made themselves new apparel.

So many of the old traditions can still be seen in present times, especially in Texas where the holiday originated. People get together and barbeque, go fishing, commemorate with loved ones, and all together just have a good time. Kind of like Independence Day, just for different reasons.

Throughout history, the Juneteenth mainstream existence seemed to be on an ongoing roller-coaster. It would seem that, in the early 1900’s, schools purposely chose not to include it in their curriculum.

Shocker…

*that’s sarcasm people*

… we don’t even learn about it now.

Attention returned to the holiday during the heart of the Civil Rights movements, and even began to spread to places outside of Texas, and then it would die down again. January 1,1980 is when Juneteenth was declared a national holiday, and we have Al Edwards, a black state legislator, to thank for that! *(Today there’s 47 states that recognize it as a state holiday)

The history behind Juneteenth is a long one, but our ancestors chose June 19th as a day for our people to celebrate. I think we could do them the honor of keeping that tradition alive. All it takes is us choosing to do more. We may not have learned this in school, but we can teach each other and our children.

This year I plan to celebrate for the first time, and keep it going for years to come. Due to the current global pandemic, I’m sure it’s going to be a small celebration, but that’s okay, it’s only the start. Something that stuck out to me, is that red food is usually is given a lot of significance during Juneteenth.

Strawberry soda, watermelons, red velvet cake, red beans and rice, and may more foods are eaten to symbolize and honor the bloodshed of those who came before us. Food and history seem to always go hand in hand. Learning why certain dishes are important to your culture is really amazing to me.

Which is why I took it upon myself to add some red dishes into our celebrations today! In the spirit of Juneteenth, we’ve decided to have some roasted chicken and vegetables, red beans and rice, ice-cold strawberry lemonade, and some watermelon-kiwi popsicles.

The lemonade and popsicles are super quick and easy to make, and perfect for the summer time. Recipes for both items will be coming soon!

Now that you’ve learned a little more about Juneteenth, I hope it’s inspired you to celebrate or even just give a little more thought. Even with the high racial tensions today, maybe we can follow in the steps of our ancestors and take a day to celebrate your loved ones and growth.

How are you guys celebrating today? Leave a comment below!

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Here's some photos of us incorporating red foods/ beverages into our Juneteenth!

Strawberry Lemonade

Watermelon & Kiwi Popsicle

Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies

Song for this post:

Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted, and Black