Juneteenth is celebrated June 19 to honor the day the Texas slaves were freed. | stock photo
Juneteenth is celebrated June 19 to honor the day the Texas slaves were freed. | stock photo
On June 18, Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) told members of the Michigan Senate that he appreciated the chamber’s approval of a resolution celebrating “Juneteenth,” the declared end of Black slavery that came in June 1865 after the close of the Civil War.
“It is one of the good points of our history,” Barrett said in the Senate Chamber, which was recorded on YouTube. “Juneteenth should be recognized and celebrated.”
Even though the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the Confederacy took place in January 1863 and the war came to an end in April 1865, slaves remained in slavery -- approximately 250,000 of them -- in Texas, according to a report on Michigan Radio (NPR). The slaves had remained in captivity and continued to suffer segregation and violence.
On June 19, 1865, during the federal occupation of Texas, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued a proclamation declaring that Blacks in the state were free, in terms of equality in personal rights, property and the right to work for wages. Granger also instructed that ex-slaves would not be permitted to gather at military posts or be "supported in idleness."
Despite the proclamation, slavery in Texas was not fully abolished. However, “Juneteenth,” as it came to be known, has been regarded as Independence Day for Black Americans. It was first celebrated in Austin, Texas, in 1866 and continued to be observed each year through the 19th century.
The celebrations spread to northern states, including Michigan, during the migration of former slaves seeking jobs in those states.
Juneteenth began to eclipse celebrations commemorating the date of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was Jan. 1. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Juneteenth was recognized as the day to celebrate the end of slavery, according to NPR.
Michigan made the observance officially a state holiday in 2005.
“It wasn’t until Union troops moved into Texas in June (1865) that the slaves had their freedoms finally recognized,” Barrett said. “The resolution provides us with an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment. I appreciate this chamber approving the resolution today."
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