“If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” —Abraham Lincoln, April 4, 1864

Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day, celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of chattel slavery. The term Juneteenth, an American South colloquial contraction of June and nineteenth, specifically refers to June 19, 1865, the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word of their emancipation, weeks after the Civil War ended. Through the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution, emancipation officially ended chattel slavery throughout the country.

However, chattel slavery did not immediately end, and the hope of Reconstruction and the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments ending slavery, establishing birthright citizenship, and granting voting rights were followed by an often violent backlash. The Jim Crow era, and the long-term economic impact and social constraints of generational and systemic bondage, scarred the road to freedom and the fight for civil rights. The Juneteenth holiday, signed into federal law in 2021, celebrates the country moving forward from enslavement, but also reminds us of the struggle that often comes before any victory.

As a national education advocacy organization, the Fred T. Korematsu Institute believes the fight for justice, racial equity, and human rights begins with education. Education shares the truths, histories, and voices of all people and prevents the more complicated moments in our American story, from the Japanese American Incarceration to the rise of the Jim Crow era, from being altered or erased.

Education is not only learning about the past, but it also helps us all make connections to present-day issues like civil rights and understanding our foundational documents like the Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and ultimately can prevent us from repeating the mistakes of the past. Education helps us understand that all our people’s unique histories and struggles played a part in the larger story of the United States, and all their triumphs played a part in our Nation’s successes. We need to honor Juneteenth not only as a moment in our shared history, but also remember how it fits into the larger story to help us build a strong, united future and inspire more Americans to stand up for social justice for all. This is about all of us. 

Learn more about the first Juneteenth at the National Museum of African American History and Culture here: LINK