HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — June 19 is a day that has been celebrated by communities across the United States for years, but what exactly is “Juneteenth.”
State Senator Mamie Locke explained that the significance of that day in 1865 was when enslaved people living in Texas found out they were finally free.
“Juneteenth was a time of celebration, a time of freedom and liberation for enslaved people in Texas. It became a time of freedom,” she said.
Locke, who is a political science professor at Hampton University, says the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect in January of 1863. Then, more than two years later on June 19, Union soldiers finally made it to Galveston, Texas — where the announcement of freedom was made.
It has become the official date when slavery was abolished throughout country.
Texas has celebrated the day as a state holiday since 1980 but earlier this week, Governor Ralph Northam announced he was proposing legislation to make it a paid state holiday in Virginia.
Locke, who spoke at the press conference with the governor, says it is about recognizing that Black American history is American history.
“That’s America’s history. African American history is America’s history. So, when the Union soldiers went to Galveston, Texas, and told those enslaved people that they were indeed free — that became a part of American history. When we commemorate Juneteenth, we commemorate a part of American history,” she said.
Locke says it is important that Virginia was able to recognize the significance. Especially considering its own racial past including the location of where the first enslaved Africans were brought to English North America.
“The cause of freedom and liberation should not always be slow and deliberate. It should not always be around having to protest for it or fight for it. It should be about just the recognition of our humanity. So, I think the governor acknowledging Juneteenth as a state holiday recognizes that humanity,” she said.
Virginia’s racial history is also linked to the route to emancipation. Fort Monroe is known as “Freedom’s Fortress,” and the part it played in history is quite significant.
Eola Dance, who is the chief of resource management at Colonial National Historical Park, says that in 1861, Union general Benjamin Butler allowed three enslaved people — Mallory, Townsend, and Baker — refuge at the Freedom’s Fortress.
The three were forced to erect fortifications and ditches for the Confederacy in Norfolk.
They escaped to the fort, where they were brought before Butler, who was only on the second day of the job.
Dance says Butler made a huge decision and allowed the three men to stay as “contraband of war.”
“In 1861, you have this contraband decision allowing freedom seekers refuge, not only here but thousands across the country,” she said.
After the contraband decision in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in September of 1862 before it took effect in January of 1863. The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was passed by Congress in early 1865.
Dance says the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom highlights places across the country, like Fort Monroe, that contributed to emancipation.
Regardless of if this is your first time celebrating Juneteenth or you have done so for years, Dance says it is a day we can all look back on to reflect our history.
“This is a moment to think about our ancestors and think of all the people’s different perspectives that had come together or be put aside to create change. Juneteenth is a moment for us to reflect on that which is so relevant today,” she said.
Dance recommends virtual tours of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
To learn more about the history behind Fort Monroe, click here.