Happy Freedom Day - No One Is Free Until Everyone Is Free
I am not a native Texan, but I remember first learning about Juneteenth. I was attending university in Memphis, and a group of my coworkers were going to a Juneteenth parade. My first question was, "What is Juneteenth?" and my second question was, "Which day is the holiday celebrated?" The 13th, 15th, or 18th? The group's spokesman provided an ambiguous answer, at best, and I was missing significant information. On my next break, I quickly headed to my computer to learn more about this mysterious holiday in June in the 28th state of Texas.
Here is what I learned on that day and many research days since about Juneteenth.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The Civil War had been raging for almost three years. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
The states of the Confederacy were rebelling, so, of course, this proclamation was ignored.
All slave-holding states did not secede from the Union. These were the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland. The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to enslaved people in the border states, for they were not in rebellion.
In April 1863, the US Army established Camp Nelson in Central Kentucky as a fortified supply depot, forward operating base, and hospital. Camp Nelson also served as a recruiting post for White soldiers and a refugee camp for White Unionists fleeing Confederate occupation in East Tennessee and the surrounding region. Camp Nelson was instrumental in the US war effort to liberate East Tennessee from Confederate control. *
Beginning in 1864, thousands of Black men, women, and children escaped slavery and journeyed to Camp Nelson. Some took up arms, gained their legal emancipation, and became United States Colored Troops (USCTs). *
The war effectively ended in April 1865 when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
In Galveston Bay, Texas, on June 19, 1865, about 2,000 Union troops arrived; many of them were Black Union soldiers, and some were USCTs from Camp Nelson in Kentucky. The army told the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state that they were free by executive decree. The Emancipation Proclamation had reached the most western territory of the conquered Confederacy.
The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution states, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The 13th Amendment was the official end of slavery in all of the United States of America.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 18, 2021.
I usually participate in the Juneteenth Celebration in Wylie, Texas, and sell my children's travel books. Well, I did something different this year and attended the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is a traveling rodeo established in 1984 that spotlights cowboys and cowgirls of color, predominantly Black cowboys and cowgirls. I had a phenomenal experience and recommend this experience because it is fun for all ages. One memorable experience that I had was interviewing the Rodeo Clown, Spanky. We discussed many things, but I would like to share his thoughts on Juneteenth on June 19, 2024. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave your comments below.
Safe Travels and Happy Reading.
* https://www.nps.gov/cane/learn/historyculture/overview-of-camp-nelson.htm
