The Story We’ve Been Told About Juneteenth Is Wrong

June 21, 2023 10:34 AM

The real history is much messier—and more inspiring.

While Texans celebrated Juneteenth with a particular zeal, many Americans still did not have the faintest clue about its origins, historical import, or contemporary resonance. That was, until an improbable series of events transformed Juneteenth into a national symbol.

...the real history of Juneteenth remains largely unknown—the myriad ways in which Black freedom was persistently sabotaged, beginning with Granger’s original order and continuing through today—at a moment when our national narrative is hotly contested. The teaching of history is under attack, which lends more urgency to an earnest reckoning with the meaning of Juneteenth. What are we celebrating when we observe it, and should we be celebrating it at all? Is it actually an indictment of America? A repudiation of the Fourth of July? Is it a day worthy of veneration, of shame, or of both?

Refers to: Frederick Douglass', “What To the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”

posted by kirkaracha (3 comments total)

Thank you, that was a great, informative read.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:47 PM on June 21, 2023

Yeah, good piece and I know more specifics now - I kind of gathered that it wasn't exactly like a magic wand was waved, but hearing the details about individuals, laws, and circumstances in Galveston makes it easier to picture.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:22 PM on June 21, 2023

One of the things I like about Juneteenth is that instead of celebrating the day some white person (Lincoln) or white people (congress/the states passing the 13th amendment) said slaves were free, it takes the perspective of black people, celebrating when they saw it as actually happening.

It's good to read more about how complicated that question is. I think Juneteenth helps raise the question of "Wait, when were the slaves actually free?" better than if we were celebrating the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
posted by straight at 11:37 AM on June 22, 2023