Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is the oldest known commemoration date for the abolition of slavery in the United States. In 2021, the day was recognized as a federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Below, Broward College Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Rudy Jean-Bart provides his understanding of Juneteenth's history, impact, and how to celebrate this significant day.

Freedom for All

Richard Boyd was an enslaved man in Texas in the year of 1865.  This means that for Boyd, who at one point was a servant in the Confederate Army in the Civil War due to his slave master’s involvement in the war, the news of freedom arrived late. 

On June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and several months after the ratification of the 13th amendment and the end of the Civil War, Boyd and other African Americans in Texas were informed that they were now free.  One can imagine their tears of joy as U.S. major general Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which in part stated that the enslaved were to now be “informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”  The enslaved in Texas were not the only ones to receive the news of freedom well after it was initially granted, as many enslaved people in Florida were notified of their freedom on May 20, 1865. Today, May 20 is known as Florida’s Emancipation Day.

Brilliance and Perseverance

Juneteenth, which is now a national holiday, is to be celebrated for many reasons. Many are aware that for those who endured enslavement, the labor was intense, and the physical and emotional toll is hard to put into words.  Anything of that nature coming to an end is worthy of celebration. But there is something else that should be recognized. For the once enslaved people like Richard Boyd, they were now given an opportunity to show their brilliance and perseverance outside of the realm of bondage. Boyd’s story is emblematic of the transformational intellect and spirit of African Americans, as he would go on to later become the founder of the newspaper Nashville Globe and one of the founders of the One-Cent Savings Bank and Trust Company.

Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the pioneers of American sociology, illustrated through diagrams at the World’s Fair in Paris the progress African Americans made once emancipated.  Literacy rates soared, as did overall participation in education and land ownership. This progress not only benefited African Americans but also benefited America as the immense contributions from African Americans have been and are very much evident. When one looks at music that finds its origin in America, many of the genres were created by African Americans: Jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop, gospel, rhythm and blues, and house music, were all offspring of African Americans and other members of the African diaspora. Not to solely be pigeonholed to the world of music, one must consider that the traffic light, a long-lasting carbon filament that proved essential to the creation of a functioning light bulb, and the revolutionizing of blood transfusions, were all due to African Americans. 

Celebrating Innovators, Artists, and Entrepreneurs

Consideration must also be given to how members of the African American community and other members of the African diaspora living in America contribute to the U.S. financially. According to a recent Nielsen study, Black spending power is currently over one trillion dollars and Black women are the country’s fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. These artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, scholars, servant leaders, and so much mor are descendants of enslaved individuals whose survival made their success possible. This not only speaks to the perseverance of the once enslaved, but also speaks to the sad reality that many were never given the opportunity to display their genius due to their enslavement.

Juneteenth serves as a reminder that when one is able to hold the paintbrush of freedom, the creations we can place on the canvas of our lives can be a masterpiece.

Are you interested in learning from Broward College’s experts in the field of history? Consider our Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, which is designed to provide students with the academic and professional skills necessary to succeed in a bachelor’s degree program as well as in their careers. Learn more here: https://www.broward.edu/academics/sbshs/