Although Abraham Lincoln’ s Emancipation Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, word of it didn’t reach Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Gavelston and read aloud  Emancipation Proclamation. From there, word of freedom spread quickly to Texas’ 250,000 or so slaves. Within a few years,  this anniversary known as “Juneteenth” came to be celebrated each year by former slaves throughout Texas, sometimes with gatherings as large as 30,000. The custom eventually spread to other areas of the South.

Traditionally, Juneteenth was a festive occasion that was celebrated with picnics and other outdoor activities like rodeos, fishing and baseball. Red foods were particularly associated with the holiday, including strawberry soda pop and red velvet cake,  as were pulled pork and other barbecued meats (follow the links for recipe suggestions for one’s own Juneteenth celebration.) But Juneteenth celebrations also focused on the importance of education and self-improvement and so often included guest lecturers and prayers.

Juneteenth’s popularity declined some in the early twentieth century after many African-Americans moved to the North. They found that their new employers were often unaware of the holiday’s history and were unlikely to let them take time away from work to celebrate it.  But Juneteenth has undergone something of a revival since then; Texas declared Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980, and institutions such as the Smithsonian have sponsored Juneteenth-related celebrations. As others have pointed out, there is also a stark contrast between Juneteenth and Kwanzaa, the latter of which has been promoted as a traditional holiday celebrating African-American culture but that unfortunately has a deeply embarrassing history. By contrast, Juneteenth commemorates an actual historical event of great importance and does not suffer from associations with a criminal founder.

On that note, I hope that the revival efforts continue. Happy Juneteenth!