38. Celebrating Juneteenth
The freed black people of Galveston immediately celebrated their liberty. On the first anniversary the following year, June 19th, 1866, freedmen throughout Texas celebrated what was then known as “Jubilee Day”. It later came to be more commonly known as Juneteenth. Despite harassment from racists and restrictions by officials, such as prohibiting blacks from celebrating in segregated public parks, the annual commemoration gained in popularity.
Some black communities pooled funds to buy land on which to celebrate Juneteenth, and by the end of the nineteenth century, the annual celebration was drawing thousands. In 1980, Texas finally made Juneteenth a state holiday. Most of the rest of the country followed suit in subsequent years, making Juneteenth either a holiday or a day of commemoration. The delayed freeing of Texas’ slaves was emblematic of the far greater delay in freeing all of America’s slaves – an opportunity missed at the country’s founding.