The Birmingham Times
It rained most of Saturday, June 19 but that didn’t dampen the Juneteenth festivities in Birmingham’s Linn Park or around the metro area.
Hundreds came out to observe Juneteenth, the oldest known African American celebration of emancipation in the nation. It celebrates freedom and the official end of slavery. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves from Confederate states. Two years passed before Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 announcing to more than a quarter-million enslaved men and women that slavery had been abolished.
The holiday is called “Juneteenth” because it is a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth” with the date it falls upon. Some of the most common names for the holiday are Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day.
On June 17, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth an official federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Alabama became the 40th state to recognize Juneteenth through the passage of legislation sponsored by state Sen. Hank Sanders in 2012. Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday. In 1979, the bill passed the Texas Legislature and on Jan. 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official holiday. To date, 47 states recognize the day as a state holiday.
The Juneteenth flag was created by Ben Haith, the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. Later, design changes were made to the original version by Lisa Jeanne Graf. The Juneteenth flag colors are red, white and blue. The flag reflects new freedom, a new people and a new star. The star in the middle pays homage to Texas. Most people celebrate with the red, green and black Pan-African flag created in 1920 by Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey.
As Juneteenth marks the independence of Black Americans, it is an opportunity to educate about, reflect on and celebrate the historical significance of the emancipation movement.
Earlier commemorations featured prayer, songs, parades, rodeos, street fairs and other activities.
Other countries mark the holiday by celebrating the culture and achievements of Black Americans.
