Juneteenth-A Celebration of Independence not Division
First celebrated in 1866, the day isn't "woke" despite claims from critics
As our politics has become more tribal and divisive in recent years, we have endured countless culture war discussions on holidays, bathrooms, and a whole host of topics that have made their way to the front of the political fight despite other issues having a much greater impact on the average American.
A great example is Juneteenth.
While Juneteenth didn’t become a federal holiday until 2021, it has been celebrated since 1866 and a recognized holiday in some southern states for decades. The 1860’s and 1980’s weren’t exactly time-periods known for “woke” politics.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture posts the following about the Historical Legacy of Juneteenth:
On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.
But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.
Common complaints from critics of the holiday will be that we already have an Independence Day for all Americans and that the holiday isn’t accurate as to the date slavery ended as the 13th Amendment wasn’t ratified until December 6, 1865.
These are weak arguments.
By that logic, we could argue that we shouldn’t celebrate Independence Day on July 4th because we didn’t win our independence that day or because we have never truly had freedom in the United States. Black people and women for example were treated horribly in the 1800’s, and if you were gay, you knew best to keep it to yourself back in those days.
Juneteenth has been recognized by states in the South long before the federal holiday. Texas recognized it as a state holiday in 1980 and here in Arkansas, under Republican Governor Mike Huckabee, in 2005.
The only reason Juneteenth is controversial in 2025 is because people don’t want to have a conversation and address the real issues we face. Hell, it might just unite us all against the tyrannical power and fiscal irresponsibility of the state. Instead, many would rather talk about anything but actual issues. It is easier to just complain about nonsense than to have to fix the problems this country is faced with.
I don’t care if Juneteenth is a “recognized” holiday by the state or not. We can be proud that the institution of chattel slavery is long gone. We can also be happy that innocent black people are no longer lynched in the streets by angry mobs.
You can celebrate the end of chattel slavery on June 19th, December 6th, or any day of the year you wish. And if that offends people, it's too damn bad.
Thank you. You reminded me of the concept of "concrete thinking," meaning those people who tend to see the world in black and white terms. The nuances of life can be lost to them. And they tend to aggregate information, so that they interpret the world as "All [fill in the blanks] are [fill in the blanks].
When it comes to people caring about their personal history and how it affects the larger community, the concrete thinker might paste the pejorative label "woke" on everything and anything connected with one cohort: one gender, one ethnicity, one sexual orientation, etc. It's as if there is a finite amount of happiness and gratitude in the world, and if one specific group celebrates, it takes away from the larger group's happiness.
Me? I want lots of celebrations. And I think celebrations for specific events and such just add; they don't diminish.
We have an amazing Greek festival here in Denver with amazing food, a great Juneteenth festival, and one of the best Pride festivals in the country. I am not of Greek heritage, African-American, nor a lesbian. But I still like people being happy.
My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. Despite our country's serious flaws and mistakes, I am very grateful that my mother, grandmother, grandfather, and great-grandparents ended up in the United States. The 4th is my Thanksgiving Day. (With ice cream and pie) And because of that gratitude, I have hoped to work to make things better for everyone.
Finally, I can separate out my appreciation for a celebration versus my grumpy irritation with the political and financial issues around the declaration of a Federal holiday. I like important issues being recognized, but I am always a mite skeptical about the purity of intent around the government declaring that one celebration is more important than another. So this group is more worthy of getting to close the banks and post office?
As Jake points out, we should all be celebrating the successes, even if they aren't perfect, and share with our neighbors' joy.
I'd argue that the 1860s actually were a time period known for woke politics. Woke means being awake to systemic injustices (generally racism), and the Civil War woke lots of people.