As a native Texan, Juneteenth wasn’t just a date on the calendar—it was part of my DNA, deeply ingrained in the Black communities of Texas, especially for children. Long before it became a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth was celebrated joyously in schools, parks, and churches across Houston. It was a day filled with barbecue, fried chicken, potato salad, and the ever-present red soda water, a symbolic nod to the struggle for freedom.
But in the 1950s and 60s, amid segregation and Jim Crow, the true origin of Juneteenth was rarely taught. As children, we participated in the festivities, unaware of the complex and painful history behind the celebration. Our Black teachers, perhaps protecting us, never detailed the grim roots of the day.
What really happened on June 19, 1865?
The widely told story is that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery, delivering General Order No. 3 to 250,000 enslaved people—a full 2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after Appomattox. But that version of the story oversimplifies a deeply layered truth.
Historians like W.E.B. Du Bois and Henry Louis “Skip” Gates argue that enslaved people already knew they were free. Gates refers to Booker T. Washington’s term “grape-vine telegraph” to describe the efficient informal communication networks among Black communities. Annette Gordon-Reed, a Harvard professor and author of On Juneteenth, also points out that Galveston, as a bustling port city, was well-connected and informed.
So, who really needed the message?
According to Gregory P. Downs, a historian at UC Davis, it was the white slaveholders, not the enslaved, who required the wake-up call. His research dismantles the myth that freedom arrived with a single announcement. He wrote that the abolition of slavery wasn’t a neat event but a military and social battle, requiring the Union Army to enforce freedom across Texas.
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White planters resisted emancipation. Many had fled into Texas from other Southern states, bringing their enslaved people with them in hopes of evading the law. Texas became the last stronghold of slavery, and the arrival of Granger was just the beginning. Over 50,000 Union troops were deployed across the state. The establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau aimed to provide aid, legal protection, and education, but freedom came at a high cost.
In the aftermath, many freed Black people were murdered for simply walking away. The backlash was brutal and swift. The years following Juneteenth were filled with violence, systemic oppression, and trauma—none of which was discussed during childhood celebrations.
And yet, through it all, resilience endured.
Our parents and teachers likely chose not to tell us the full story—not out of neglect, but to shield us until we were ready. How do you explain such violence and injustice to young children? Instead, we were allowed to celebrate, to feel joy, to claim Juneteenth as ours—before learning the deeper, harder truths later in life.
As adults, we now understand that Juneteenth is more than a date. It’s a story of survival, of a people who fought and endured, and who continue to fight for truth and justice. The myth may have made the history easier to digest, but the real story is far more powerful—and far more worthy of remembrance.
