About Juneteenth

“Juneteenth has always been more than a holiday. The day stands as a testament to and celebration of the unyielding spirit of a people. It is a day for introspection, a platform for education, and a tribute to the monumental contributions of African Americans to the history of this nation. Each year, as Juneteenth grows in popularity, there are festivals, parades, activist rallies, commemorative murals, vitally important discussions about race, and so much more. By celebrating Juneteenth, we foster connections, healing, and revitalization. And we pay tribute to the ongoing fight for social justice and racial equity.” [Source]

With those words in mind, I've elected to address Juneteenth under "Microaggressions and gaslighting in today's America." This post was compiled for inclusion in that list.

A history of Juneteenth and the alleged end of enslavement in America

• Juneteenth, uploaded Jun. 16, 2020 to the BlackPast Org channel on YouTube. (Includes a 1941 interview with Laura Smalley, a woman who was enslaved in Texas.)
  RELATED: Juneteenth: The Growth of an African American Holiday (1865- ), by Quintard Taylor, Black Past, Jun. 17, 2011.

• National Archives Safeguards Original ‘Juneteenth’ General Order, by Michael Davis, National Archives News, Jun. 19, 2020. ("The official handwritten record of General Order No. 3, is preserved at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.")
  RELATED: Conserving a Legacy of Freedom: Preparing General Order No. 3 for Public Display, by Mary Ryan, National Archives News, Jun. 14, 2024. (This article discusses the binding methods for general orders, plus a description of General Order No. 3's condition at the time it was digitally archived.)

• Beyond Juneteenth: The Road to Emancipation, by Kim Coleman, , Jun. 17, 2025. (Features timelines that illustrate the history of emancipation "through three different lenses: the Confederate States, the Border States, and Federal abolition, starting at Lincoln’s proclamation and ending with the Federal ratification and certification of the 13th Amendment.")

• On Juneteenth, uploaded Jun. 2, 2021, to the National Archives channel on YouTube. ("In 'On Juneteenth,' Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed tells the sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history and provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.")
  RELATED: Noted Historian Discusses Juneteenth’s Place in American History, Michael Davis, National Archives News, Jun. 9, 2021.

• As the nation celebrates Juneteenth, it’s time to get rid of these three myths about slavery, by John Blake, CNN, Jun. 18, 2023.

• "Oh, We Knowed What Was Goin’ On": The Myths (and Lies) of Juneteenth, by Clyde W. Ford, Columbia College of Arts & Sciences: History News Network, Jun. 19, 2022.

• Four enduring myths about Juneteenth are not based on facts, NPR staff, OPB, Jun. 20, 2022.

• The Birth of Juneteenth; Voices of the Enslaved, by Neely Tucker, Library of Congress Blog, Jun. 19, 2020. (Read the comments for clarification of some details in the essay.)
  The Library of Congress essay describes only slave-owner Logan Stroud's reading of General Order Number 3 to his enslaved workers. But it's vital to remember that in America, the legal and de facto enslavement of Black people continued until as late as 1942. For a better understanding, see "Here's what i mean by 'alleged,'" below.

• Juneteenth, explained, by Fabiola Cineas, Vox, updated Jun. 17, 2021. (An illuminating history of Juneteenth as an annual celebration, from its exuberant beginning in Texas to its gradual spread across the nation, along with changes in the perception of Juneteenth and its meaning.)

• Because Vox often raises a paywall, I’m including this historical overview as well: Juneteenth: The Celebration of a New Freedom in America, by NationalArchivesBlog, Rediscovering Black History, Jun. 16, 2021.

Here's what I mean by ‘alleged’

• The Part of History You've Always Skipped | Neoslavery, uploaded Apr. 4, 2022 to the Knowing Better channel on YouTube.
  RELATED: "Alfred Irving, (c 1900 – after 1942) was an American man believed to be the last person to be freed from slavery in the United States."

• Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, a 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner by Douglas A. Blackmon, Doubleday, NY, 2009. (This book is available to read online here.)

  RELATED: Slavery by Another Name, a 90-minute PBS documentary, adapted from Blackmon's book, 2012.

Keeping the meaning alive

• The Commercialization Of Juneteenth And Why We Must Take Control Of Our Culture And Narrative, Buzzfeed, Jun. 15, 2022.

• Juneteenth: Turning on the Lights, a page of the Peace Corps website, Jun. 19, 2020.Jun. 19, 2020.

• Op-Ed: Everyone Should Acknowledge Juneteenth — But Don't Celebrate It Unless You're Black, Scary Mommy, Jun. 16, 2021.

Juneteenth abroad

• Across the Waters: Juneteenth and the Ties That Bind the Black Diaspora, by Erin Fallen, National Peace Corps Association, June 2021. ("Through shared meals, holidays, and traditions, I’m reminded that the fight for freedom wasn’t isolated—it spanned oceans. We are the 1% who made it through the trans-Atlantic slave trade—and every act of remembrance is proof that we were never meant to disappear.")

• Black Americans living abroad reflect on Juneteenth, by The Associated Press, NBC News, Jun. 19, 2022. (“Overall, it’s about coming together regardless of where we are, and it tells how much blood runs deep as a community to come together and enjoy ourselves.”)*

White cluelessness and the impact of commercialization
(or, watermelon salad? REALLY?)

• Children’s museum apologizes for selling Juneteenth watermelon salad, by Jonathan Edwards, The Washington Post, Jun. 6, 2022.

• Juneteenth: The Unintended Consequences of Commercialization, by Breanna Reeves, Voice, Jun. 20, 2022. (Juneteenth is “another one of those instances where it’s like [Black] culture is worth benefiting from, but not worth celebrating or not worth honoring.")

How can white people participate in Juneteenth
without taking it over and destroying its meaning?

• Reading List for Juneteenth, a page of the Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Free Library website, Jun. 15, 2025.

• A Juneteenth Reading List, a page of the Charis Books & More website.

• Should white People Celebrate Juneteenth?, by Justin Stinnett, Medium.com, Jun. 18, 2022.

• 10 Things We Want White People to Do to Celebrate Juneteenth, by Guimel Carvalho, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, Jun. 18, 2020.

• How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization, by Destinee Adams, NPR, Jun. 20, 2022. ("Juneteenth should remind Americans that emancipation was necessary but insufficient. There needs to be an actual grappling with how racial injustice is still shaping the lives of Black Americans and Black folks in America by extension, today.")

• 10 Ways to Celebrate and Commemorate Juneteenth in 2022, Sheena Foster, Reader's Digest, Jun. 17, 2022.

• 23 Ways To Thoughtfully Celebrate Juneteenth (2023), by Amanda R. Martinez, Good Good Good, Jun. 13, 2022. (This is a beautiful list of possibilities. Whether you take in a museum, eat at a Black-owned restaurant, or just spend time talking with your kids about why this day is important to all of us, you can make Juneteenth meaningful — without co-opting it.)

A final thought:

• Why Juneteenth Matters For White People, Too, by Tim Wise, Yes!, June 18, 2021.

Originally posted Jun. 23, 2022. Updated June 21, 2025.