Hello Everyone and Happy Juneteenth!
June is a special month for several reasons, but today I’m going to talk about Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day. Juneteenth falls on June 19th and is a federal holiday in the United States, that celebrates the slaves becoming free in Texas. The celebration goes back to the day, June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told that enslaved African Americans had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. It started as a small celebration and was celebrated in small places, but is now a holiday to celebrate the freedom of enslaved black people.
I was very excited to know that on June 17th, 2021, our president Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Act into law. The official Juneteenth flag is Red, White and Blue, showing that all American slaves and their descendants were all Americans. However, many in the Black community adopted the Pan-African flag which is Red, Black, and Green showing the blood, soil. and prosperity of Africa and their people. There are several traditions related to Juneteenth but a common one is eating red velvet cake, grilled meats, and drinking strawberry soda.
Fun Facts About Juneteenth*
- It is the oldest known holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the US.
- Juneteenth is the title of a book by author Ralph Ellison. Other books by Carolyn Meyer and Ann Rinaldi also center around the day.
- Some cities and groups have Miss Juneteenth contests.
- Strawberry soda pop was once a popular drink associated with celebrating Juneteenth.
- The Juneteenth Flag of Freedom is half red and half blue with a star in the middle. Each year a Juneteenth Flag raising ceremony is held in Galveston.
Credits: Google, Wikipedia, *INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JUNETEENTH By Avery Caldwell