🖤✨ Juneteenth: The Real Independence Day

Vibes high, joy unmatched! 🖤💚❤️ Celebrating freedom, unity, and culture the Juneteenth way — through dance, community, and unapologetic Black excellence. #JuneteenthJoy #FreedomDance #HighLyfeMoments

📜 What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, celebrated every June 19, commemorates the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were finally informed of their freedom—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3, declaring all enslaved people free in accordance with federal law.

This powerful moment became known as “Juneteenth”, a blend of June and nineteenth, and it’s now recognized as a federal holiday in the U.S. (as of 2021).

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✊🏾 Why It Matters

Juneteenth is more than a celebration—it’s a symbol of resilience, resistance, and the continued journey toward justice. It honors:

The end of slavery in the U.S.

Generations of Black excellence, culture, and survival

A reminder that freedom was delayed, not denied—and that the fight continues

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💜 How Juneteenth Is Celebrated

Across the country, Juneteenth is celebrated with:

Parades and marches

Cookouts and family reunions

Music, dance, and spoken word

Education and activism events

Wearing red as a cultural symbol of strength and sacrifice

Some cities like Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and D.C. have held celebrations for decades, long before national recognition.

youtu.be

Why do we celebrate Juneteenth?

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but has been celebrated much longer. So what is the history behind Juneteenth, and why do we celebrate it? WCCO's Reg Chapman explains. For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

🧠 Did You Know?

Red foods (like BBQ, red velvet cake, and hibiscus tea) are traditional Juneteenth staples, symbolizing strength and the bloodshed of ancestors.

Juneteenth is often called “America’s Second Independence Day.”

The Juneteenth Flag, created in 1997, features a bursting star over a horizon—symbolizing a new beginning for Black Americans.

📚 MLA Citations:

Gates, Henry Louis Jr. What Is Juneteenth?. PBS, 15 June 2021,

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/.

National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, Smithsonian Institution, 2020,

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth.

White, Dana. “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Resilience.” The Washington Post, 19 June 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com