Juneteenth: A day of celebration and reflection
Today on Juneteenth, we celebrate the liberation of thousands of enslaved Black Americans and the subsequent end of slavery in the United States
Today on Juneteenth, we celebrate the liberation of thousands of enslaved Black Americans and the subsequent end of slavery in the United States. Though Juneteenth has been a cause for celebration among Black communities for hundreds of years, the holiday grew significantly after President Biden declared Juneteenth as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. Since this designation, an influx of annual festivals, cookouts and other celebratory events mark the occasion as Americans across the nation celebrate the proliferation of freedom.
On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, an executive measure declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate states would be legally freed on January 1, 1863. However, freedom was not immediate for all enslaved peoples. The Emancipation Proclamation was a military measure issued to enlist Black men as Union soldiers to end the war that was tearing the divided states apart. With that in mind, the Proclamation only applied to states that had seceded from the Union, maintaining slavery in bordering states still loyal to the Union.
Though slavery was ended on paper, news of the Proclamation's edicts had to be spread by messengers traveling to the farthest reaches of Confederate territory. On June 19, 1865, Union Army General Major General Gordon rode to Galveston, Texas, with his Union army, ordering the freedom of the remaining enslaved people in Texas. This final enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation saw the functional end of slavery in the United States.
Finally, at the end of the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on December 6, 1865, legally abolishing chattel slavery in the U.S. Constitution. Though this move wasn't the end of the fight for Black equality in the United States, Juneteenth signals the end of one of the darkest eras of the United States' history and the beginning of a brighter future. Juneteenth is colloquially known as the nation's second Independence Day and reminds us that freedom is not guaranteed.
Juneteenth is a day of celebration but also one of reflection. Black Americans still feel the effects of racism, bigotry and prejudice that cannot simply be undone by executive decree. As long as this inequality persists, it is incumbent upon all of us to continue fighting for the freedom and equality of all people.
As Hoosiers around the state gather together in celebration, let us also remember the past and galvanize us to create a better future.
In service,
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus
Contact:
Derion Searcey, Executive Director of IBLC
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-9827
1-800-382-9842
derion.searcey@iga.in.gov
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