Home » Education & Career » History For Children » Juneteenth! - Page 2

Juneteenth! - Page 2

© Meg Greene Malvasi

In many ways, Juneteenth celebrations resembled the traditional commemoration of the Fourth of July. The day usually began with a prayer service, followed by speeches filled with messages of inspiration, hope, and encouragement. There would always be a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation and testimonies, or the telling of life stories, by former slaves. Underlying the revelry and merriment were serious messages about the importance of education, self-reliance, and self-improvement.

As with any celebration, though, many of the favorite activities of "Juneteenth" revolved around eating and drinking. The focus of many "Juneteenth" celebrations was the barbeque pit, where a lamb, a pork, or beef were being roasted to perfection. Tables were set with all kinds of delicious foods, many of which were luxuries among the poor, black population of the rural South. To quench the thirst, there was plenty of strawberry, or red, soda, the traditional drink of Juneteenth. Besides catching up on the latest goings on in the community, there were many other activities to fill the day such as rodeos, baseball games, dances, and fishing contests.

In the years immediately following the Civil War, African Americans often met with resistance from the white community to the celebration of Juneteenth. To insure that the tradition of Juneteenth would continue without interruption, many black communities purchased "emancipation grounds" and moved the celebrations to private property where white authorities could not interfere with them. Some of the original sites, such as Emancipation Park in East Austin, Texas and Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia, Texas, are still in use today.

During the Second World War (1941-1945), the number of Juneteenth celebrations declined. With the coming of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, the holiday almost disappeared entirely as African Americans had less desire to recall slavery and devoted more energy to overcoming its legacy. In the 1970s, however, several African-American communities around the United States revived the celebration of Juneteenth. The Texas legislature went so far as to make June 19th an official state holiday in 1980! Today, in communities all across the United States, African Americans once more are coming together to commemorate that special day in June when their ancestors learned they were slaves no more.

Want To Know More?The best place to find information about Juneteenth, including history and current Juneteenth celebrations, is Juneteenth.com. Or visit the The National Juneteenth Museum for additional information.

Check Out At Your Library: Muriel Miller Branch's Juneteenth: Freedom Day (Grade 3+), Valerie Wesley's Freedom's Gift's: A Juneteenth Story (Grade 3+), and Carole Boston Weatherford's Juneteenth Jamboree (Grade 2+). Teachers or parents might want to check out "A Time To Be Remembered: A Juneteenth Story," a video and teacher's guide produced by Karol Media.

The copyright of the article Juneteenth! - Page 2 in History For Children is owned by Meg Greene Malvasi. Permission to republish Juneteenth! - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.