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Juneteenth is the oldest nationally/internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
The celebrations that followed the reading of the proclamation by General Gordon Granger began a tradition that has lasted for over one hundred and fifty five years, and today is hosted in cities across America and beyond. The JUNETEENTH.com website is dedicated to this celebration and to those who tirelessly contribute to its continued existence and growth. For information regarding this website, contact us via email at: info@juneteenth.com.
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Please support our efforts. to maintain and expand this historical Website.
Let's make Juneteenth a commemorative, not of the horrific institution our country embraced, but rather as a showcase of the strength in the American spirit to recognize wrong and set about making it right. In this same spirit America moves ahead today in leveling playing fields and achieving ever greater equality. Let us celebrate all that Juneteenth teaches us about our country's greatness in our use of the heart to hear and to learn and to work together for all that is good and just.
In June of 2008, my grandmother was laid to rest. As our funeral procession passed near Wichita State University in Wichita, KS, a parade was taking place. The parade stopped to let us pass, and the men and women on horseback removed their cowboy hats and placed them over their hearts. It was the first time that day we laughed - Grams would have loved that she stopped a parade. What those men and women did not know is my Grams was a First Lieutenant in the Army - she served during WWII as a psychiatric nurse. She lived an amazing life after that, with God at the helm. I learned today that the parade that day by WSU was the Juneteenth Parade. That the men and women so selflessly stopped to allow our funeral procession to move past has remained in our family's hearts and minds all these years. We cannot thank you enough for your kindness. You are forever a part of our family's history.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Happy 30th Birthday
JUNETEENTH.com
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Three decades ago—before Google was either a noun or a verb—this platform was launched with a single, driving purpose: an unwavering commitment to the importance of the Juneteenth celebration. Sustaining this digital monument for 30 continuous years has been an extraordinary journey. A website domain, countless technological eras, and two wonderful daughters later, the mission to uplift and preserve our history remains as vital today as it was in 1996 - maybe even more so.
Social What?
Yes, before Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and all the other social media platforms were born, JUNETEENTH.com was stirring up dust and reaching out to Juneteenth celebrants across the U.S. and beyond (hence the name Juneteenth World Wide Celebration), most of whom knew far more about the celebration than I did, as I was just learning its history. We had a grand old time exchanging ideas and best practices on how to organize, permit events and improve local Juneteenth activities - and just as important, JUNETEENTH.com was the place to post celebration notices (yes, long before e-mail blasts). I learned a lot about this history, and a lot about a new craft, Web Development. As the word spread and the celebrations grew, keeping up with the postings was sometimes brutal - but it was the kind of pain that was good. It meant more people, communities, towns, cities and states were starting their own Juneteenth celebrations - and this treasured history and tradition was finally taking its rightful place in American history.JUNETEENTH.com has always been about African American resilience, perseverance, achievement and paying homage to those shoulders we stand on (note, the JUNETEENTH.com logo, and wonderful artistry of Tom Feelings). Thirty years has passed like the blink of an eye, almost. And, somehow now feels like the beginning. We have stories to tell, including yours. I look forward to them all. What you have overcome, what you have achieved, and what you have helped others achieve is American History. It's the legacy you will leave behind.
Let this 30 year milestone be for you, as it is for me, a very special Juneteenth.
Here's to 30 more!
-Cliff