Observing Juneteenth | Remembering Our History and Honoring Our Ancestors

Drawlz celebrates all things in our culture, and Juneteenth is no different - we just celebrate it in a different way.

We're not just observing the basic human right of personal sovereignty, we’re also honoring the people who persevered through unimaginable horrors, their children who sacrificed life and limb to stop this terror, and their children’s children who created opportunities for the rest of us once the dust settled.

We can not truly have a grasp on the gravity of this day without first learning about it, and I’m not talking about the bland Google answers or the romanticized Hollywood version.

Today, we’re going to learn about the truth about the emancipation proclamation, the time between it being signed into law and Juneteenth, what really happened on June 19th, what it was like in the following weeks and months, and remember those responsible for the incredible life and culture we have today.

Before diving into this, it’s important to note that America was in the middle of the Civil War due to the South declaring rebellion against the American Federal Government. The Civil War started on April 12, 1861 and ended April 9, 1865.

Here’s a quick glossary of dates and events we’ll be referring to throughout this post.

We have to remember that although our ancestors were now recognized as free citizens, they had nothing. No place to live, no clothes, no savings, and no source of income to turn to. To survive, many enlisted in the Union army and were killed in combat before they had the chance to truly live free. Regardless, the value of their freedom far outweighed the risk of uncertainty, and we choose to honor their courage and self-respect this Juneteenth.

Information spread slowly, and even when news of the Emancipation Proclamation did reach rebellious states, many refused to follow the edict as they believed the Federal American government held no power over them.

This tumultuous time came to an end when the Civil War ended on April 9th, 1865, effectively forcing all Confederate states to adhere to Federal Law, including the Proclamation - but again, there’s a gap between this date and Juneteenth, which explains why June 19th is a day of remembrance instead of the day the war ended. 

While the Emancipation Proclamation applied to nearly all states, it did not apply to Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland. Lincoln intentionally exempted these states because he didn’t want to tempt them into joining the Confederacy.

To close this loophole, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed on December 6, 1865 which officially recognized that all men and women of the United States were now free. Any remaining opposing strongholds could no longer work around previous loopholes and the Federal Government now had the manpower to enforce it.

I’ve given a lot of historical information about papers written by the very authority that held our people down for centuries, and although they are important, we commemorate those who chose to demand their liberty be recognized and these laws be enforced.

This and every Juneteenth, we acknowledge how the systems were broken to allow this day to happen, but it’s not the main focus; instead, we choose to honor those who had the courage to rise up and rightfully claim what should have always been theirs and inspired others to do the same. 

They were born into a world that didn’t recognize them as equal and never thought it would change until a fearless few took action on whispers of new laws that would grant them liberty. They then had to bring their community together against known enemies for the chance to face the unknown - a life lived free.