JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
 

It's almost that time again! I can remember as a child all of the festivities (fairs, barbeques, family reunions, etc.) centered around Juneteenth. Here is the link for more information for those of you not so familiar with it... www.juneteenth.com/

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All or none of them could be true. For whatever the reason, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory...

excerpt from juneteenth.com


[This message has been edited by AKA2D '91 (edited June 10, 2001).]

My chapter just held our 7th annual Juneteenth celebration this past Saturday. I must confess that before I joined this chapter, I did not know what Juneteenth was! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif I will most definitely check out the site to which you referred because we all need to know our history.

------------------
MCCOYRED
Mu Psi '86
BaltCo Alumnae

Dynamic...Salient...Temperate...Since 1913

I celebrated Juneteenth for the phirst time last year. We have a celebration/festival here in Columbus. It's this weekend, this year. I'll share with yall how it was on Monday! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

It's that time again!!!
 

June 19th is approaching! What are you gonna do this year to celebrate?

I know for now, I'll be going to the festival that we have here, but I'm not sure what else.

Shoot, we need to start barbequeing (sp?) on this day INSTEAD of July 4th. Food for thought, food for thought....

Only slightly...
 

I am slightly disturbed at the fact that this thread has no replies. :( I do want to thank Soror AKA2D '91 for sticking it to the top!! SW!

But I'll move on, lol. I'm thinking that this year, in addition to going to the city celebration, I'd like to have something at my house. I want to have decorations, and have people bring traditional soul food (or even African inspired) dishes. Then I'd like to have a discussion (as light as possible) about Juneteenth, what it meant then, and what it means now. I'd also like to encourage people to cease celebrating July 4th, and instead, embrace June 19 as OUR Independence Day. But I'm so sure no one's trying to hear that. Wake up, people, wake up...

I'd also like to share my Juneteenth memory, and there is only one. I used to be on the Sisterfriends listserv. In 2000, I invited all Ohio SF's down to Columbus to go to the Juneteenth Festival. I went and got ballons, made a sign on posterboard, and everything! Two sistahs showed up, and we really enjoyed our afternoon. We walked around the vendors, and just had a good time with our people. When we got some time to ourselves, we'd brought bags with 'ourselves' in them, things that we felt told a little bit about who we were (including the bag we used, I used my AKA bag). It was really nice, and I just heard from one of the ladies this week. She won't be able to make it down this year, though. Come to find out, she cut off all of her hair, too!!! :) Anyway, it was nice to hear from her, because it's the time of year that we met.

I encourage everyone to participate in the celebration of our physical freedom. Perhaps, in the celebrations, we can figure out how to free our people, mentally.

A Luta Continua.....

I was in Houston this past weekend and I know, as usual there will be a concert of sorts. I think Galveston also has things planned as well.

This is my first time posting on this board though I have posted on other boards, I hope its ok.

With respect to Juneteeth, I never attended an event in celebration of the ending of Slavery until after I graduated from college. When I moved to New York, I was in a local YMCA and found a flyer hanging on the community events board. When I attended it was a lovely time. We watched a show at the planetarium which depicted how those traveling the Underground Railroad used the stars to navigate the route. Later, we made gourd instruments with a local musican. My husband and I really learned a lot that day and look forward to taking more people to the upcoming event with us this year. I also love the idea of having a little get together at the home to mark the day and to educate others who may be as unaware as I once was.

We should...
 

celebrate it like the "other" americans celebrate the "Civil War". Yall know how they be reinactin' that shit. WE should get some brothas and re-inact Cinque's, Denmark Vessey's, and Nat Turner's events; and get some TV coverage on it too(BET excluded)!

This year, I will be celebrating with our NAACP Youth. We are sponsoring a picnic at the "playground" (the playground was ours back during segreagation and still serves as the center of our community). We'll be having a BBQ as well as a talent show, games and just sharing as a black family!!

There's a three day event in St. Petersburg, Florida, highlighting Juneteenth. I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know what Juneteenth was until I went to a banking convention in Houston. The social outing was to a black rodeo with a precelebration for Juneteenth.

I went to the Junteenth this past weekend and I was thoroughly disgusted. It was nothing but a fashion show. The ladies looked down right STANK! I bet if I had asked any of the people there what Juneteenth meant, they would look at me looking straight crazy. It's sad that things have to be that way.

Juneteenth strangeness
 

The one in Oceanside, Calif., wasn't a fashion show, but it had its wiggy moments.

Then again, I was on another listserv and we were talking about inappropriate MLK day events. Among them was a MLK Day A@* Fest. :eek:
I'm not kidding. I hardly think that people got maimed or killed for us to act crazy.

Happy Juneteenth Everybody!!!!!!!
 

TTT

June what?
 

Yeah, that's what I said when I first heard of "Juneteenth" just a few years ago. I felt very out of the loop until I heard it was primarily a Texas celebration that has spread throughout the US (and Cali tends to sometimes hear about "Black" things very late, I think). I've never been to a celebration but there's a 3-day event going on here this weekend. Gospel choir Friday night kicks-off the event, and then there's the Black Rodeo and some other things on Saturday. I'm not sure what's happening Sunday. Once again, I won't be able to make it, though. :( Friday is booked with kid's stuff and my chapter is holding its annual June (Hat) Scholarship luncheon on Saturday. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are also booked with kids/family/father's day stuff. Once again, I'll have to put off going until next year.

Louisiana Juneteenth Celebration Events
 

New Orleans: Sat. June 15th call: (504)822-2665
Opelousas: Sat. June 21st call: (337)948-9884


Just in case someone in Louisiana was looking for event info.;)

I've not yet figured out what I'm going to do for Juneteenth this year. I do know that I am going to teach my girls about it this week. I'll keep y'all posted.

ttt

I think this idea is beginning to really grow. Locally, I noticed there will be a "SoulFest" at the Audubon Zoo that weekend.

In Baton Rouge, there will be an inaugural Juneteenth Festival going on downtown.

:D

Graduation is on the 19th, so that's where I'll be. But I'm trying to go to B'more later that day. Sorors Allsmiles & lovesupreme08???

Re: June what?
 

I have to agree with Soror Choo-ChooAKA. IMO, "black" stuff sometimes is slow to come out here to Kollyfornia -- remember, the population is only 7% AfAm or so.
As for Juneteenth plans, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything. My chapter meeting is Saturday (the actual June 19th).

TTT/FYI Juneteenth article
 

The professors make interesting points about the amendment, and Harper's point about awareness. Just some reading.
Juneteenth: Celebration with a Dubious Purpose
Date: Friday, June 18, 2004
By: C. JEMAL HORTON, BlackAmericaWeb.com


This weekend, Juneteenth observances around the nation will have singing, dancing and barbecuing by hundreds of thousands who will be celebrating the day in June 1865 that slaves in Galveston, Texas were told about the Emancipation Proclamation.

But in fact, slavery wasn't officially ended in this country until
December 18, 1865 - the day the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratified. That action came nearly three years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which ordered the freeing of slaves in areas controlled by the Confederacy. But since the country was in the throes of the Civil War, that order was virtually unenforceable.

Historian Russell Adams told BlackAmericaWeb.com that those who recognize June 19, 1865, as the "African-American Emancipation Day," as the Web site www.juneteenth.com states, have good intentions. But the record, he said, should be set straight.

"It (June 19, 1865) certainly is not the legal date; it's the date the announcement was made by the military to folks in Texas," said Adams, who is chairman of Howard University's Department of Afro-American Studies."The real date should be December, not June. For some mysterious reason, nobody has picked up on the day the amendment was approved to the Constitution as a day to celebrate.

"I would stress the fact that the announcement is one thing, and the Constitutional amendment is the real thing. Because until the amendment in December of 1865, it was not illegal, in terms of strict law, to own slaves. Slavery was still a part of the American legal system until the amendment was added.

"All these other things - January 1st of '63 and June 19 (of 1865) - are only ceremonial dates that don't work, in terms of law."

Juneteenth dates back to day in 1865 when Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and told slaves about the Emancipation Proclamation. Black historian Jim C. Harper said that merely makes Juneteenth a celebration more specific to Texas and other Confederate states - not the whole country.

"I think it's one of those things where a lot of the United States found out about the Emancipation Proclamation, heard the war was over, and thought they were free," said Harper, who is a visiting lecturer at North Carolina Central University. "Well, we all know the Emancipation Proclamation didn't free the slaves. Well, we should know that. But Juneteenth was one of those things that people adopted nationwide as the day all slaves were freed. It's been that way for a long time."

Adams said he understands why so many blacks misconstrued the date.

"It's like so many things connected with heritage: mis-education and under-education," Adams said. "I've been doing Afro-American work for 30 years. What I've found is that people find some emotional reason to grab a date or an occasion, and they decide that this is the one that they're going to put their energies on. This is what I think has happened in this
whole (question) of 'when did slavery end in the United States?' "

Harper said that while he would rather people be aware of the actual date slaves were freed, he focuses more on the intent. "I don't necessarily think the date is the most important thing. It doesn't totally bother me, as long as we continue to strive to remember what (Juneteenth) was about - freedom for our people," he said.

"We've got too many young people out here who aren't politically
involved. If something like Juneteenth makes them more aware, I've got no problem with the dates."

Juneteenth was not a big thing in GA when I was growing up. I actually never heard of it until I moved to MN in the late 80s. When someone explained to me what it was I was like, wait a minute, the slaves were freed on January 1st.

I never really understood the purpose of celebrating the fact that they were told almost 2 years after the other slaves were freed. A few churches here have New Years Day services in commemoration of the Emancipation Proclimation, but I have never been, although I have watched it on T.V.

Happy Day
 

While Juneteenth is something new to me (and now to my children)....I want to wish everyone a joyous day...for celebrating freedom is an important thing!!!!

I attended my first Juneteenth celebration this past weekend, and it was nice. Lots of activity for the kids, local entertainment, nice merchandise. There's room for it to grow some more, especially in the ways of entertainment and a wider array of vendors (seven vendors selling cell phone backs and fake Gucci glasses was kinda nerve grating... let's do better...) I think there are so many black owned businesses in Charlotte and I wonder why more didn't take advantage of the great opp. for exposure. Ah well. I enjoyed myself. I've always wanted to go and I'm glad I did.