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Minnesota's connection to the "fathers of Juneteenth"
Long celebrated by African Americans, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and a Minnesota state holiday two years later.
Parades, concerts, informal and formal gatherings are just some of the ways families and communities honor what's also called Freedom Day. But it's much more than just a party, says Lee Henry Jordan, National Juneteenth's Midwest and state director.
"You need to know the history of what you're commemorating and celebrating," Jordan said. "The 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3, we call those some of the 'Freedom Documents.'"
Jordan believes all who take part in celebrations should know that in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in states that tried to secede from the United States.
Two years later, in June 1865, about 2,000 Colored troops marched into Galveston Bay in Texas to enforce General Order No. 3, which formally freed about 250,000 enslaved people who were being held illegally.
Jordan calls members of four regiments — the 20th, 28th, 29th and 31st United States Colored Troops — the "fathers of Juneteenth."
"The history of the United States Colored Troops, that should be a part of the celebration," Jordan said.
Members of the United States Colored Troops.
He hopes people look to uncover the freedom story of their own family, diving deep into history.
"There were people that didn't get press but still did the work, and those people are in your family," he said.
Jordan truly believes someone in his family wore the Union uniform and was in Galveston Bay in 1865. Through his research, he found at least one Minnesotan there.
"William Crosley, and the fact that he's buried in Rochester, Minnesota," he said. "He was at Galveston, Texas, when the United States Colored Troops were there. So if he was there, who else was there?"
He believes following a trail of history can unlock your family's freedom story.
"There is a continuing story, energy, power, whatever you want to call it, that's connected to freedom," he said. "Find whatever that is for you, bring that to a Juneteenth celebration, and trust me, you will find a kindred spirit."
Kindred spirits with shared history — American history — that should be celebrated by all.
"If you don't leave there with a little bit more knowledge of who you are and where you come from and what can be done, then, now I think you're missing a little something," he said.
Click here for a list of Juneteenth events this weekend in the Twin Cities, including the Great Minnesota Cookout on the lawn of the Minnesota State Capitol.
