{"id":24435,"date":"2025-06-17T16:25:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T20:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/weeklyrounds\/?p=24435"},"modified":"2025-06-17T18:00:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T22:00:16","slug":"celebrating-juneteenth-this-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/weeklyrounds\/2025\/06\/celebrating-juneteenth-this-thursday\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Juneteenth This Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Juneteenth is a holiday observed annually on June 19, commemorating\u00a0the end of\u00a0slavery\u00a0in the\u00a0United States. A combination of the words\u00a0June<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0nineteenth<\/em>, the holiday, also called Freedom Day, has been celebrated since 1866 and has been called \u201cAmerica\u2019s second Independence Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juneteenth was originally celebrated in\u00a0Texas on June 19, 1866, marking the anniversary of the day Black people in Texas first learned of the\u00a0Emancipation Proclamation, two years after it was initially issued. Originally, the holiday was celebrated with prayer meetings and by singing\u00a0spiritual songs.<\/p>\n

History<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1863, during the\u00a0American Civil War, President\u00a0Abraham Lincoln\u00a0issued the\u00a0Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million enslaved people living in the Confederate states to be free. However, chattel slavery remained in Delaware,\u00a0Maryland,\u00a0Kentucky, Missouri, and\u00a0West Virginia, therefore, slavery was not officially\u00a0abolished\u00a0in the United States until the adoption of the\u00a0Thirteenth Amendment. More than two years passed, however, before some 250,000 enslaved\u00a0African Americans\u00a0living in\u00a0Texas\u00a0were freed.<\/p>\n

On\u00a0June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in\u00a0Galveston, Texas, with Union troops to enforce the emancipation of enslaved people. Upon arrival, he issued\u00a0General Order No. 3, which declared:<\/p>\n

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Reactions to freedom from the formerly enslaved ranged from silent disbelief and shock to celebrations filled with prayer, feasting, song, and dance. Those celebrations formed the basis of an annual holiday that would come to have many names, including Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, and Juneteenth.<\/p>\n

Celebrations and Traditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Black Americans have maintained dedicated spaces to celebrate Juneteenth; the first official Emancipation Park\u00a0was established in Houston in 1872.<\/p>\n

Black Texans moved around the country and spread Juneteenth traditions and\u00a0African Americans\u00a0in other states began celebrating the day as well. Celebrations have continued annually across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, parades, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, dancing, and food. Celebrations often include a performance of \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing,\u201d the unofficial Black American\u00a0national anthem.<\/p>\n

Consuming red foods and drinks is essential to Juneteenth celebrations and for some African Americans, it represents a cultural connection to their\u00a0West African\u00a0heritage. The color red meant power and sacrifice in the cultural practices of West Africans affected by the\u00a0transatlantic slave trade\u2014especially the\u00a0Yoruba\u00a0and\u00a0Kongo, who brought their beliefs and traditions with them to their enslaved communities in the Americas. For some celebrants, red picnic items such as barbecued meats, cherry cobbler, and red sodas (usually strawberry sodas standing in for traditional drinks of hibiscus and\u00a0kola nut\u00a0teas) symbolize the bloodshed of enslavement and honor ancestral strength and sacrifice.<\/p>\n

On June 17, 2021, President\u00a0Joe Biden\u00a0signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, officially recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.<\/p>\n

Cooper is proud to sponsor two community Juneteenth events in our region. Join us in honoring and celebrating Juneteenth alongside our local community members!\u00a0 Click links below to access the flyers:<\/p>\n