On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the last remaining enslaved people that they were legally free.
The day became known as Juneteenth, a long-overdue recognition of freedom that had been denied for far too long.
“The emancipation happened and freedom was acknowledged in 1865, but that was just in Texas,” said Breanna Allen, executive director of the Tolson Center for Community Excellence and adjunct professor at Ivy Tech. “You had the entire South, as well as the North, for that message to get across. So that took time.”
For generations, Black communities have celebrated Juneteenth with music, food, and storytelling, well before it became a federal holiday in 2021.
“Even though it wasn't designated a federal holiday until the Biden administration, communities across the country still held celebrations,” Allen said.
While Juneteenth commemorates a pivotal turning point in U.S. history, Allen says the struggle for true equity is far from over.
“Laws were still put in place and ordinances were still put in place to oppress,” she said. “We’re still fighting today… it doesn’t just affect African Americans. It affects lower-income individuals. There’s folks in rural communities as well in which it feels like equity and freedom can be restricted.”
Allen hopes Juneteenth will continue to encourage reflection, not just on the nation’s past, but on the meaning of freedom today.
“Acknowledging and recognizing that there has been a fight for equality and freedom, particularly among African Americans, is an important part of our history,” she said.
Across Northern Indiana and the nation, communities are marking the holiday this week with parades, cookouts, and performances, continuing a tradition that began more than a century ago and still resonates today.
