Juneteenth Didn't End Slavery. The Real Story Is Even More Disturbing.

[00:00:02]Uh they're going to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country July 4th, but that's not our celebration. We was we were slaves then. And they celebrate se us signing the Declaration of Independence 1776.

[00:00:19]We were not even emancipated until 1863.

[00:00:24]So I don't know what everybody getting ready for a celebration.

[00:00:28]You know that it seems crazy for me to have on the birthday had at your birthday party. That ain't my party.

[00:00:35]>> My people. For black America, Junth is Independence Day. Because Junth marks the day that the last enslaved black Americans were finally informed that they were free. It is the closest thing that black America has to its own 4th of July.

[00:00:54]And yet, here's the question. If Junth is America's second Independence Day, why are millions of Americans still going to work today? Yeah, think about it. When July 4th comes around, nobody debates whether it's a holiday, government offices close, schools close, businesses shut down. The entire country understands what the day represents.

[00:01:18]But Junth, even though it is now a federal holiday, millions of Americans don't get a paid day off. In many states, workers still clock in, stores remain open, life just goes on as usual, which raises an uncomfortable question. Why does America treat one Independence Day differently than the other? Is it because Junth is too new? Is it because many Americans still don't know the history? Or does it reveal something deeper about which stories become part of the national memory and which ones remain on the margins?

[00:02:00]So today we're breaking down why Junth remains one of America's most understood holidays. Why it took 156 years, yes, to become a federal holiday. and why even now it is still a holiday that depends on your zip code, your employer, and where you live. Because once you understand the history, the real question isn't why Junth became a holiday. It's why it took so long and the fight that is still ahead. Let's break it now.

[00:02:45]Hello and welcome to the breakdown where we center Africa and the black world in today's global uh affairs. I'm your host Sandra Babuate. Now, if you're new to our channel, a big welcome to you.

[00:02:57]Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel and also tap the notification bell for alerts so you never miss a new show. And also, I invite you to join our family here. Join our channel membership for deeper dives, exclusive content, and conversations that you won't find on the public timeline. Now, today I am bringing you this episode from Atlanta.

[00:03:17]Yes, where I had the privilege of serving as a keynote speaker at the TSP live conference. Listen, I spent the entire day speaking with an incredible community of African-American entrepreneurs about Africa as the next frontier of wealth creation and economic opportunity and how they can tap into it right now. And my people, let me tell you, it was exactly the right room to be in today. Yes, especially as we celebrate Junth because freedom without ownership means nothing at all. It is not freedom. And the conversations were so thoughtful, the energy was contagious. And I left deeply inspired by the caliber of people in attendance and by the ecosystem that the husband and wife founders have built around entrepreneurship, ownership, and generational wealth. Now, I'll be sharing more from that experience in the coming days, including my speech and some of the powerful conversations and insights that emerged from the conference. So, be sure to stay tuned for that.

[00:04:20]All right, now back to today's episode.

[00:04:22]So, let's start with the obvious question, right? What exactly is Junth?

[00:04:27]Because despite becoming a federal holiday in 2021, many Americans still couldn't tell you what happened on June 19th, 1865.

[00:04:37]Most people know that it has, you know, something to do with slavery ending, but the actual story is far more remarkable.

[00:04:45]Yeah. On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. There's just one problem. The proclamation is only as powerful as your ability to enforce it. And in much of the South, there was nobody there to enforce it. The Civil War, yeah, the Civil War was still raging. Confederate states weren't exactly lining up to obey Lincoln's orders. And in places like Texas, one of the most remote Confederate territories, slavery continued largely uninterrupted.

[00:05:28]In fact, Texas, Texas became something of a refuge for slaveholders. As Union forces advanced through other parts of the South, many enslavers moved west, bringing enslaved people with them.

[00:05:41]Right. believing that Texas would be beyond the reach of federal authority.

[00:05:47]And so while freedom had been declared in Washington, bondage continued in Texas for more than 2 years. Yeah. And then on June 19th, 1865, everything changed. Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveastston with federal troops and issued General Order number three informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free.

[00:06:18]The order said, and I quote, "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with the proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free."

[00:06:30]Now, imagine that moment, right? Imagine waking up one morning as property in the eyes of the law and going to bed that evening as a free person. Imagine learning that freedom had technically belonged to you for years, but nobody had come to tell you. Imagine.

[00:06:46]Well, that moment became known as Junth.

[00:06:51]Yeah. And for generations, black Americans celebrated it. Not because Congress told them to, not because corporations embraced it, not because it was fashionable, but because it marked one of the most profound moments of liberation in American history.

[00:07:06]Which brings us to the next question. If Junth commemorates the freedom of millions of Americans, why did it take 156 years for the federal government to recognize it as a national holiday?

[00:07:24]This is a day of profound, in my view, profound weight and profound power.

[00:07:29]A day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take.

[00:07:42]What I've long called America's original sin.

[00:07:47]At the same time, I also remember the extraordinary capacity to heal and to hope and to emerge from the most painful moments.

[00:07:59]And we're blessed. We're blessed to mark the day in the presence of Miss Opel Lee. As my mother say, God love her.

[00:08:07]Grandmother of the movement to make Junth a federal holiday. Miss Opel is uh you won't believe it, she's 49 years old.

[00:08:17]are 94 years old. But I as I was walking down, I regret that my grandchildren aren't here because this is a really, really, really important moment in our history. By making Junth a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance we've come, but the distance we have to travel. you.

[00:08:46]And I have to say to you, I've only been president for several months, but I think this will go down for me.

[00:08:54]It's one of the greatest honors I will have had as president. Not because I did it. You did it. Democrats and Republicans.

[00:09:11]>> First one.

[00:09:16]Now, here's where the story gets interesting. Because Junth did not suddenly appear in 2021. In fact, black Americans had been celebrating Junth for more than a century before most America even knew that it existed. Every year, families gathered. Churches held services. Communities organized. They organized parades, festivals, cookouts, and commemorations.

[00:09:42]Parents taught their children the story.

[00:09:45]Grandparents passed it down to the next generation. In many ways, Junth survived because black communities refused to let the memory die. And that's important to understand because unlike the 4th of July, Junth wasn't buil from the top down. You see, it was built from the bottom up. There was no national marketing campaign. There was no federal recognition. There was no widespread coverage in history books. For decades, it remained largely a community tradition, especially in Texas and other parts of the South. And in some ways, that reflects a larger reality about American history. Right? The stories that become national holidays aren't necessarily the most important stories.

[00:10:32]They're the stories that a nation collectively decides to elevate.

[00:10:37]And think about that. Every country has thousands of important historical events, but only a handful become official holidays.

[00:10:47]Why? Because holidays are not just about history. They're about memory. They're about identity. They're about deciding which moments are so important that future generations should stop whatever it is that they're doing and remember them. And for most of American history, the story of emancipation occupied a very different place in the national memory than the story of independence from Britain.

[00:11:14]July 4th became a national a national uh ritual. Junth remained for the most part a community res remembrance until something changed until the country began asking a different question. Not not whether Junth mattered, but why one of the most significant freedom moments in American history was still missing from the national calendar.

[00:11:39]So why did it take 156 years? Why did a holiday that black Americans had celebrated since the 1800s only become a federal holiday in 2021?

[00:11:53]Well, the answer is complicated. Part of it is awareness. For much of American history, Junth simply wasn't widely taught outside of black communities. You see, millions of Americans learned about the Civil War. They learned about Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, but never learned about the events of June 19th, 1865.

[00:12:15]But awareness alone doesn't explain a century and a half. deeper answer is that America has always had a complicated relationship with the history of slavery. Independence from Britain is a story that most Americans can celebrate together, right? But the end of slavery forces the country to confront harder questions. questions about who was excluded from that independence, questions about race, questions about power, questions about whether the the ideals proclaimed in 1776 were extended equally to everyone.

[00:12:54]And those conversations have never been easy, you see. But by the early 21st century, something began to shift. More states started recognizing Junth. More schools started teaching it. more Americans were learning the history. And then in 2020, amid a national reckoning over race and history, the push for federal recognition gained unprecedented momentum. And a year later, in 2021, Congress passed legislation making Junth a federal holiday.

[00:13:29]It wasn't handed to us, my people. It was a fight.

[00:13:34]and President Joe Biden signed it into law. For the first time, the federal government formally recognized June 19th as a national day of remembrance and celebration. It was a historic moment, the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the culmination of generations of advocacy.

[00:13:59]And yet, even after becoming a federal holiday, Junth still did not become the kind of holiday that most Americans assume it is. Because this is where many people get confused. A federal holiday does not automatically mean that everyone gets the day off. In fact, that's where the real mystery begins.

[00:14:18]Because if Junth is now a federal holiday, why are millions of Americans still heading to work today, right?

[00:14:24]While almost nobody works on July 4th.

[00:14:27]Think about that.

[00:14:28]Well, the answer lies in just how holidays actually work in America.

[00:14:33]>> I say June, you say >> several hundred passionate union workers, advocates, and community leaders rallied for the holiday honoring black freedom and the end of slavery.

[00:14:46]>> We work for it. Our ancestors work before. And this is 2026. It shouldn't be a question. AND WE'RE DOING IT NOW.

[00:14:54]>> THE holiday marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African-Ameans in Galveastston, Texas finally received word of their freedom 2 and 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Government activity in the state, Suffach County, Long Island cities, towns, villages, and hamlets will be closed to observe June 19th, which became a federal holiday in 2021. But only in Nassau, Junth is not an official public holiday, not a paid day off for county employees.

[00:15:24]>> This issue has become an embarrassment for this county.

[00:15:28]>> This isn't about special treatment. It's about equality.

[00:15:31]>> Junth should not be used as a bargaining chip.

[00:15:34]>> Executive Bruce Blakeman says the union never brought up Junth in its newly negotiated contract. The county has 13 paid holidays, he says, just like everyone else, and cannot afford a 14th.

[00:15:46]I told them, I will give you Junth, you give me another holiday back. That's the fiscally prudent thing to do. I got to watch out for the taxpayers money.

[00:15:54]>> It's not something that you should just swap. Understand the weight and the significance of what people went through in this country.

[00:16:01]>> And this is where things get really interesting because many Americans assume that once something becomes a federal holiday, everybody gets the day off. But that's actually not how it works. A federal holiday guarantees a paid day off the for federal employees.

[00:16:19]Federal offices close. The post office closes. Many banks close. The stock market closes. But beyond that, the federal government can't simply force every state, every school, every district, and every private employer to shut down. Can't. Those decisions are made separately. And that's why two people living in the same country can have completely different experiences of Junth. One person is at home with their family and another is clocking into work like it's just any other day. One state recognizes Junth as a paid holiday for state employees and another recognizes it symbolically but doesn't provide paid leave. Some private companies have embraced it, others have not. Which means that more than 150 years after emancipation, whether Junth feels like a holiday often depends on your zip code, your employer, and where you live.

[00:17:20]Now, compare that to July 4th. When Independence Day arrives, there's very little debate. Very little. And the expectation is pretty clear, right?

[00:17:30]America stops. Businesses plan around it. Families plan around it. Communities organize around it. The holiday is deeply embedded in the culture.

[00:17:40]Barbecue's everywhere, right? And that's the key difference because this isn't just about what the law says. Is about what a society has collectively decided is important enough to pause for. Now, think about that for a moment. The 4th of July has had nearly 250 years to establish itself as a national ritual.

[00:18:05]Junth has had just a few years as a federal holiday.

[00:18:10]So perhaps the question isn't simply why Junth isn't treated exactly like July 4th today. Perhaps the question is whether America is still in the process of deciding where Junth fits within its national story. Because holidays are more than days off. They are signals.

[00:18:29]They tell us which moments deserve remembrance, which stories deserve attention, and which chapters of history a nation chooses to elevate.

[00:18:40]And that brings us to the bigger question. What does it say about a country when one freedom holiday is universally recognized while another is still fighting, still fighting for its place in the national consciousness?

[00:18:56]What does it say?

[00:18:59]And that my people is really where the conversation starts because holidays are not just days off.

[00:19:07]Again, they are statements. They are country's way of saying this matters.

[00:19:11]This moment helps define who we are.

[00:19:14]This is a story that every generation should remember.

[00:19:17]These aren't random dates on a calendar.

[00:19:20]They are reflections of a nation's identity.

[00:19:24]That is what makes Junth so fascinating because in many ways Junth asks America to expand its understanding of freedom.

[00:19:34]For generations the dominant freedom story was July 4th 1776 the day America declared its independence from Britain.

[00:19:44]But we all know that freedom didn't apply to everyone every American.

[00:19:49]And Junth tells a different story. It reminds us that freedom arrived in stages, that the promise of liberty was not experienced equally by everyone, that one group of Americans was celebrating independence while another remained in chains. And whether people agree or disagree about politics, that's simply a historical fact.

[00:20:13]So perhaps the rise of Junth is not about replacing July 4th. Perhaps it's about completing the story, you know, adding another chapter, recognizing that America's journey toward freedom did not begin and end in 1776.

[00:20:30]Did not. It continued through abolition, through emancipation, through generations of people pushing the country to live up to its own ideals.

[00:20:42]And maybe that's why the conversation around Junth still feels unsettled, unfinished.

[00:20:48]Because unlike many holidays, Junth doesn't just ask us to celebrate. It asks us to remember. It asks us to reflect. It asks us to wrestle with the gap between America's ideals and America's reality.

[00:21:06]And those are not always comfortable conversations, but they are necessary conversations because a nation that refuses to examine its history, a nation that struggles to understand its present and future.

[00:21:21]And perhaps that's why Junth matters far beyond black America, too. Yes. Because at its core, Junth is not just a story about black freedom. It's a story about American freedom. Who received it? who has denied it and how long it took for the promise to reach everyone.

[00:21:42]And so the question becomes what do we do with this history, right? Because after learning all of this, some people will inevitably ask okay but what difference does it make? And actually it makes quite a lot because holidays don't become meaningful simply because Congress passes a law, right? They become meaningful because ordinary people decide that they matter. That's how Junth survived for more than 150 years before it became a federal holiday.

[00:22:12]Families celebrated it. Churches preserved it. Communities protected it.

[00:22:17]People kept the memory alive. And that same principle applies today.

[00:22:23]If you believe Junth deserves the same recognition as other major American holidays, there are practical ways to help move that conversation forward.

[00:22:33]Start at your workplace. Yes, ask whether your company recognizes Junth as a paid holiday. And if not, ask a simple question.

[00:22:43]Why?

[00:22:45]Not confrontationally, not aggressively, just ask the question, why not? Many companies added Martin Luther King Jr.

[00:22:52]Day because employees advocated for it.

[00:22:55]The same has happened with Junth.

[00:22:58]And if you're in a leadership position, consider what recognition could look like. Maybe it's a paid day off. Maybe it's a day of service. Maybe it's educational programming. Maybe it's giving employees the option to observe the holiday in a meaningful way.

[00:23:14]And beyond the workplace, learn the history. Teach it to your children.

[00:23:18]Share it with your friends. Attend local Juneenth events. Support museums, cultural institutions, and organizations preserving these stories. Because ultimately, the future of Junth won't be determined by politicians. No, it'll be determined by whether ordinary Americans decide that this history is worth remembering.

[00:23:41]And that's really the lesson here. The people who first celebrated Junth didn't wait for national recognition. They celebrated because because they understood something important, something powerful. If you don't preserve your history, someone else will decide which parts of it matter.

[00:24:00]And perhaps that's the challenge that Junth presents to all of us today. Not simply to enjoy a day off, to enjoy a barbecue, but to ensure that one of the most important freedom stories in American history is never forgotten.

[00:24:15]Because freedom is not just something we inherit. It's something we remember.

[00:24:20]It's something we honor and it is something that every generation has a responsibility to preserve.

[00:24:28]And so now I turn it over to you. How are you commemorating Junth this year?

[00:24:33]Does your state recognize Junth as a paid holiday as your workplace? And what if anything do you think should be done to ensure that this becomes recognized the same way July 4th is? Let me know in the comments and let's talk about it. So that's what I have for you for now.

[00:24:51]Again, thank you so much for tuning in.

[00:24:53]If you are not yet a subscriber, please be sure to join our family and also tap notification bell for alerts so you never miss a new episode. And follow us on Substack at panageniusnews.softstack.com for our coverage of breaking news, stories, and analysis that you you won't always find here. Once again, I'm Sandra Bubing and until next time, take care.