It is no secret that black voices and black holidays have not been given the recognition (open in new tab) they deserve, in the United States or elsewhere. One such holiday is Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day or Freedom Day, a contraction of June 19, which commemorates the formal emancipation of slaves in the United States (although we now know that slavery continued after (open in new tab (open in new tab)). Although most people never learn about it in history class, June 19, 1865 is a momentous date in American history. [It is especially poignant to recall that on July 4, 1776, there were many Americans who did not enjoy freedom. As allies (opens in new tab), it is imperative that we learn about these holidays. Here is everything you need to know about Juneteenth, which states celebrate it, and how you can honor it in your community.

On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union General Gordon Granger and about 1,800 Union troops (open in new tab) arrived in Galveston, Texas. Their mission" they planned to seize the state and carry out what President Lincoln had carried out two years earlier.

I know what you are thinking. How is it possible that an entire state, especially one as large as Texas, did not know that a landmark law had been "implemented" two years earlier?" The reason: Texas was one of the few states in the South that had not yet been claimed by the Union Army.

Because it was one of the few states left untouched, large numbers of slave owners from Mississippi, Louisiana, and other eastern states had migrated to Texas to escape Union forces since the capture of New Orleans in 1862. It's a wild story.

In the South, Granger read General Order No. 3 (open in new tab). It granted freedom to 250,000 slaves in Texas and established Union military authority over Texans. It read:

"To the people of the State of Texas, I say, in accordance with the proclamation of the executive branch of the United States, that all slaves are free. This entails absolute equality of personal and property rights between former masters and slaves, and the relationship which hitherto existed between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer. The emancipated would be encouraged to remain quietly in their present homes and work for wages. They are not allowed to assemble at the military posts and are informed that they will not be supported in idleness there or elsewhere"

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Unfortunately, not everyone heard the news immediately; according to PBS (open in new tab), the masters at the plantation had decided when they would finally announce the news. Some waited for government agencies to arrive, while others waited until the end of the harvest season to break the news.

The setbacks did not stop the newly liberated from celebrating the birth of the new holiday that would become Genetens.

In 1980, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday (open in new tab). Since then, all but four states have recognized the holiday. Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

As for its status as a national holiday, last year the U.S. Senate passed a resolution (open in new tab) recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day as a national holiday. However, the House of Representatives has yet to approve it.

Groups such as the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (opens in new tab) in Mississippi are still urging Congress to make Juneteenth a national holiday. The association encourages you to volunteer for one of the committees listed on the website, organize or promote a Juneteenth Celebration in your community, or make a donation.

SIGN THE PETITION (opens in new tab)

You can also make a difference right now by signing the above petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday.