On Wednesday, in downtown Clinton at the City Market, Juneteenth was commemorated by a diverse representation of the entire county. And it should indeed be a remembrance and celebration for all Americans. Let me just say to my fellow Sampsonians and others from surrounding communities, thank you for showing up and representing. And it appeared as if everyone had a great time!
Even before President Joe Biden signed the bill establishing Juneteenth as the official federal holiday observance to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States three years ago on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth was viewed by many Black Americans as the best contender for celebrating emancipation and for acknowledging the impact Black American Union soldiers had in saving the Union and ending slavery. Yes, indeed, this should be “a sacred day” for Black Americans and a commemoration for all Americans.
Interestingly, it has always been my conviction that something so consequential and so instrumental in changing the course of American history deserves ‘official’ attention. And over the last few years Juneteenth has grown in popularity among many Black Americans throughout the United States, with Charlotte, NC, hosting the first Juneteenth event in our state in 1977. Still, one has to wonder why it took so long for the Nation to establish a historic remembrance, marking the end of slavery in America, now known as Juneteenth.
With the Executive Order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, which we all know as the Emancipation Proclamation, the United States took a major step toward freeing enslaved Black Americans in all territories still at war with the Union. Then on April 9, 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War ended, and the vast majority of the enslaved Black Americans became free from chattel slavery. Even as the war ended in April 1865, it will be a little over two more months before the enslaved Black Americans, some 250,000, in Galveston, Texas were finally informed that “all slaves are free,” realizing their dream of freedom.
This date of June 19, one hundred fifty-nine years ago, known as Juneteenth, is now the third year being celebrated as a federal holiday. And just for the record, the vote to make it a federal holiday received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, with the entire North Carolina Congressional delegation supporting the bill making Juneteenth a national holiday, including Sampson’s Representative David Rouzer at the time.
Over the last few days, many communities across North Carolina and the nation, including Sampson County, have celebrated Juneteenth, using this “sacred day” to reflect on the progress that has been made in fulfilling America’s promise of equality and justice for all, while remembering and honoring the “resilient humanity” of our ancestors, who endured so much to help insure our survival.
As evidenced by the diversity at Sampson’s Juneteenth, it will take us all, working together in determining how we continue to move forward.
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