Freedom for every American didn’t come easy. And it didn’t come all at once.
We celebrate July 4th as Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which sought to free the 13 American colonies from the shackles of British rule. Following years of war and bloodshed, that freedom was won.
Well, mostly.
More than 21% of the people in America remained in shackles — they were slaves, and their independence wouldn’t be declared until Jan. 1, 1863, when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Actual freedom for most slaves wouldn’t be realized until the Confederacy surrendered in April 1865.
But it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, that every slave became free. Now celebrated as Juneteenth, that was the day Union Troops — including Black soldiers from the United States Colored Troops — entered Galveston, Texas, to free 250,000 enslaved people. That makes Juneteenth a second Independence Day.
It’s definitely more than a historical footnote. It isn’t just a Black holiday. It’s a reckoning for America, a reminder that freedom has always demanded struggle, commitment, even enforcement — freeing all the slaves required armed Union soldiers, illustrating the fact that emancipation was a perfect idea, but a ragged process.
Nonetheless, in the years following the war, newly freed people persevered despite obstacles like racism, violence, and poverty. They won political office, built communities and schools and businesses, continued fighting uphill battles for every inch of progress, reshaping the American Dream for succeeding generations.
Since 2021, Juneteenth has been a federal holiday — which is why you didn’t get a newspaper in the mail Thursday. But it’s misunderstood by many Americans. Hopefully, that will change.
More than commemorating events from 160 years ago, Juneteenth offers a way forward. Honoring it means that we try to understand our complicated past, and learn from it. It means celebrating the spirit and joy of hard-earned, long-delayed liberation, while continuing the work of justice, and committing ourselves to the notion that freedom is never finished.