June 19th, 2024, the US nation is celebrating Juneteenth as a National Holiday. The celebration of what is now known as the Second Independence Day is the fourth following the event held on Thursday, June 17, 2020, when US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law, making June 19 a national holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black Americans. This year, the Juneteenth celebration will focus on the history of our ancestors and "Their Wildest Dreams", and the present accomplishments and progress affirmation of every person's right to equity and dignity.
Juneteenth is a special day in the USA. It is even so special for Blacks in the USA and around the World. The day, falling on June 19th of each year, is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or Liberation Day and Second Independence Day. It is a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. This year’s national Juneteenth theme is “Their Wildest Dreams—honoring the history of our ancestors while also highlighting present accomplishments and progress.”
In fact, Juneteenth commemoration focuses on remembering Black Americans’ stories of bravery, faith, strength, love, and humanity, and honoring their resilient fight to gain freedom from slavery. As the current theme highlights, Juneteenth is a time to reflect on the present accomplishments, while recognizing the long road ahead and the work needed to reach the goals and advocating for change.
Juneteenth commemoration marks the event when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to spread the news of the Emancipation Proclamation outlawing slavery in Confederate states, which had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier (see here: USA: 2021 Juneteenth National Holiday with Opal Lee, Grand Mother of Juneteenth ).
Nearly a quarter of a million of them in Galveston, Texas, received the news more than two months after the end of the Civil War, and more than two years after US President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Although Black Americans have celebrated it since 1866, President Joe Biden recognized Juneteenth as a national holiday in 2021 (see here: US: Juneteenth, or June 19th, Becomes A National Holiday To Commemorate the End of Slavery).
Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but only about half of the states recognize it as an official holiday, while others are still struggling to come to reason.
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Some states and cities have recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday before 2021.
These include Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington among the firsts to act. Texas was far ahead when it instituted the day in 1980 and Massachusetts followed in 2007. Following the murder of George Floyd, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania recognized the holiday in 2020, a year before it became a federal holiday. Today, all 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize it as a holiday or observance, with according to the Congressional Research Service, only 28 states having made it a permanent paid or legal holiday with legislation or executive action.
On June 19, 2024, some key businesses will be closed including all non-essential Federal government offices and courthouses, majors Banks, US Stock Markets, post offices.
However, most grocery stores such as Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, Giant, Weis, Wegmans, Karns, Aldi, BJ's Wholesale Club Bass Pro Shops, Best Buy, Chick-fil-A, CVS, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Rite Aid, Starbucks, Walgreens have usually remained open on regular hours. FedEx and UPS pickup and delivery services will be available and office locations will be open.
Some companies have already recognized Juneteenth as an official paid company holiday. These include Target, Nike, and Best Buy.
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Across the country, the celebrations of Juneteenth in 2024 happened over the weekend of Jun 15-16, 2024 and are expected from June 21-23, 2024 in most key cities in the USA, including: Washington DC, New York, NY; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; Atlanta, GA; Galveston, TX; Chicago, IL;
Juneteenth as a National Holiday has been a step in the right direction, but the road to the equality for all remains long. In 2023, the focus was on "Wave of Freedom", an affirmation of every person's right to equity and dignity, highlights the long road still ahead. In 2024 , the “Their Wildest Dreams" theme calls on the continued need to reflect on the present accomplishments, while recognizing the long road ahead and the work needed to reach the goals and advocating for change.
In fact, as of today, close to two centuries after the abolition of slavery, Black Americans still face challenging issues hindering the path to their dreams. Black Americans have been on a road towards their dreams reaching and progressing beyond the gruesome barriers from slavery, including the Jim Crow Era, the violence during Civil Rights Era, and the ongoing major racial injustice events. Among the key barriers since slavery are sharecropping, land contracts, subprime loans, eminent domain policies, Black neighborhoods discrimination by banks and government organizations, racial discrimination in the job markets especially in major companies. All those challenges continue to worsen the racial disparities in homeownership, wealth inequality, and advancement.
©2024 AfroAmerica Network
