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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
When, what is Juneteenth? What to know about the origins, history of the federal holiday
The Fourth of July is just under a month away. Although Independence Day is, for many Americans, synonymous with freedom, July 4, 1776 was not a day of independence for enslaved Americans. Enslaved Black Americans had to wait almost 100 more years for independence, a day that's observed on June 19 every year, called 'Juneteenth.' Often referred to as 'Black Independence Day' or 'Second Independence Day,' Juneteenth commemorates the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation made it to enslaved people in the south – years after it was actually signed. Here's when Juneteenth 2025 is, what it is and why it's celebrated. What is Juneteenth? A quick explainer before the important holiday Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 every year, commemorates the day the news of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation reached the south – almost three years after Lincoln signed the proclamation that started the end of slavery in the U.S. Short for 'June Nineteenth,' the holiday marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, on June 19, 1865, says. The troops arrived with the news a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the proclamation. And although the day is extremely significant and the longest-running Black holiday in the U.S., the emancipation proclamation was only the beginning of Black Americans' fight for freedom. 'June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, it did not free enslaved people throughout the nation. Keep in mind, there were still border states which were still part of the Union,' Mary Elliott, Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), said on the museum's website. 'They had not seceded from the Union, and they still maintained slavery. Maryland, for example, was one of them. It took the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally end slavery throughout the nation.' Other reconstruction amendments also helped solidify freedom for formerly enslaved Black Americans, Elliott said. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted citizenship, due process and equal protection to freed slaves and provided them the opportunity to vote and hold office. Juneteenth 2025 will fall on Thursday, June 19. There isn't one overarching theme for all Juneteenth celebrations nationwide, but the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's 2025 Juneteenth event is titled 'Power in the past, strength in the future!' Yes. This year will be the fourth year that Juneteenth is observed as a federal holiday. It was established as a federal holiday under former President Joe Biden in 2021. 'In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people,' The NMAAHC website says. 'Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling.' There are two main flags that people wave on Juneteenth. One is a blue and red flag with a white, five-pointed bursting white star in the center. The other is the African Liberation Flag, which was created in 1920 and is broken into three horizontal color blocks: red, black and green. Here are the meanings behind each flag, according to the NMAAHC: Juneteenth flag: The colors are the same as the American flag – red white and blue. This represents that the people freed in Texas were American citizens. The five-point star is a symbol for Texas (the Lone Star State), where the Juneteenth holiday started. The big starburst around the five-point star represents the spread of freedom. The African Liberation Flag (created in 1920): This flag was designed to represent the story of the unity among people from Africa. The red stripe represents struggle and sacrifice. The black stripe represents Black people. The green stripe represents the natural wealth of the land of Africa. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Juneteenth 2025: Here's when, what the holiday is, represents
Black America Web
20-05-2025
- General
- Black America Web
Malcolm X At 100 Offers Lessons In Resilience And Resistance
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Celebrating Malcolm X's life and legacy offers an opportunity to reflect on his many lessons in resilience and resistance. He spent his entire life resisting intersecting systems of oppression, but he never wavered in his commitment to uplifting Black people at home and abroad. Malcolm was firm in his demand for justice and equality. His experience as a Black Muslim living in America informed every move he made. Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm's third oldest daughter, spoke with Omaha's KMTV 3 News Now about the long overdue recognition of her father's life and legacy. Shabazz expressed joy at people finally recognizing her father's compassion and commitment to human rights. She also briefly highlighted the new exhibit on Malcolm X at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., in an Instagram Reel. Erika D. Gault, Ph.D., the Director of the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life and the Lilly Endowment Curator of African American Religious History at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, spoke to Shabazz about the importance of the exhibit. 'This is sacred ground,' Gault said. 'This is preserving a story of the people who sometimes their humanity was called into question. And this becomes a visible proof both of their humanity and their unique contribution to history.' As I reflected on Malcolm X's 100th birthday, I listened to several old speeches and thought about what my parents taught me about him. While there are new contours and complications, many of the same issues he spoke about and their impact on Black people are still present. Here are five lessons in resistance and resilience from Malcolm X's teachings to consider as we celebrate his 100th birthday: Growing up, many of us have heard the phrase knowledge is power. We grow our power by leaning into the importance of knowing. Malcolm's evolution demonstrated the power and necessity of political education and being able to evolve when we receive new information and perspectives. It's also important to understand the people we are lifting up and emulating. Speaking with NewsOne , Jihad Abdulmumit, chairman of the Jericho Movement, encouraged those commemorating Malcolm to remember the strength and grounding he received from his faith, even as he sought to work across religious communities. 'It gives you direction and grounding,' Abdulmumit said. 'I'm a Muslim, and I'm also a member of the Black Liberation Army. So many brothers and sisters in the Black liberation movement accepted Islam, following the example of Malcolm, that became our motivating force.' Understanding Malcolm X and how he became the man we admire is important as we seek answers and strategies to move our people forward. Self-determination and building Black political power While many are familiar with Malcolm's commitment to self-determination, his call for strategic political engagement and governance is often overlooked. During his speech at the first rally for the Organization for Afro-American Unity, Malcolm outlined a strategy for building independent Black political power, which included voter registration and voter education drives. He also called for running independent candidates who represented and reflected the values and interests of the Black community. His strategy echoes a similar sentiment as one outlined by Ida B. Wells-Barnett in her 1910 pamphlet 'How Enfranchisement Stops Lynching.' Like Wells, Malcolm X understood the importance of securing ballot line access and supporting elected officials committed to uplifting Black people. Black-led power-building organizations like Action St. Louis, Detroit Action, Advance Carolina, and Milwaukee's Black Leaders Organizing Communities embrace a similar approach. Malcolm spent his life defying the odds and often encouraged his supporters to do the same. He set big and bold goals that others may have said were impossible. When he formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity, he set out to unite over 20 million Black Americans. His demand that the U.S. be charged with human rights violations for the deplorable treatment of Black people in America was a shocking statement for the times. And yet, the odds didn't stop him. Today, several groups have engaged the United Nations, similar to the strategy outlined by Malcolm before he was stolen from us. Documenting the mistreatment and injustices is important to eventual redress and restoration for Black people and others impacted by systemic oppression and white supremacy. Freedom and liberation require collective organizing Through his short-lived work with the Organization of Afro-American Unity, Malcolm set forth a foundational principle for the need to organize as a collective and in collaboration with various groups. Further, he inspired a generation of young leaders who took his legacy and commitment to resilience and resistance into new organizations and movements. Malcolm X inspired generations of organizers who leaned into his calls for self-determination and human rights as a grounding framework. And people like Imam Jamil Al-Amin (formerly known as H. Rap Brown), and Organization of Afro-American Unity members Herman Ferguson and Sekou Odinga are among the many inspired by Malcolm who would go on to dedicate their lives to fighting for Black liberation, freedom, and justice. Ferguson, along with Jalil Muntaqim and Safiyah Bukhari, would later form the Jericho Movement among other notable contributions to the struggle. Grounding our work in a human rights framework Malcolm recognized the collective struggle of oppressed people across the board. He often spoke about human rights as a framework for his organizing. He demanded respect for our humanity and independence, and encouraged Black people to seek out human rights, not just civil rights. 'The best thing that we can do, in my humble opinion, in commemorating El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, is to try to pick up the mantle of fighting for human rights,' Abudlmumit said. Much of the work of the Jericho Movement and its partner organizations is grounded in a human rights framework. Abdulmumit said we are dealing with the same power dynamics that Malcolm X fought against. 'It's the old saying, the more things change, the more they remain the same,' Abdulmumit said. 'So honoring [him] has become just a motivator and a reminder for everybody, and I hope that we can be encouraged to study his life and see if we can be just as courageous and bold and studious and active as he was in trying to bring about change.' SEE ALSO: Malcolm X's Childhood Trauma And The Case For Abolishing Family Policing 5 Facts You Should Know About Malcolm X SEE ALSO Malcolm X At 100 Offers Lessons In Resilience And Resistance was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Epoch Times
21-04-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Clio's Wars: How We Interpret Our Past Will Determine Our Future
In his Introduction to his 11-volume 'The Story of Civilization,' Will Durant Teacher and historian Wilfred M. McClay delivers a similar Like most historians, Durant and McClay recognize the crucial necessity for this passing of the baton from one generation to the next. Moreover, while they recognize that this exchange can take place through such venues as parental teaching, language and customs, literature, art, and music, both men would also likely argue the primacy of Clio, the muse of history, as the captain of our culture and the chief custodian of our libraries, museums, and liberal arts. 'Clio, Muse of History,' 1800, by Charles Meynier. Oil on canvas. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain Consequently, how we unpack and interpret the treasures and trifles of history, that most colossal of attics, is crucial for the survival of a civilization. History, with its wars and rumors of wars, can itself become a battlefield, just as it has today. The Battleground of History In 2019, The New York Times Magazine launched the Women, men, and children stand in front of a church, possibly Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Tulsa, Okla., circa 1919. The '1776 Unites" project states that Tulsa became a famous African American entrepreneurial enclave by 1921. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Public Domain This attempt to steer the interpretation of American history away from such central icons as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution brought a swift reaction. Historians from across the political spectrum denounced the project for its faulty history, while others defended and promoted it. One of those opposed was Robert Woodson, a black activist and community organizer who founded the ' The Greenwood section of Tulsa, Okla. was popularly known as America's "Black Wall Street." It was common for residents, such as this 1929 photograph of Samuel and Eunice Jackson (L), to be 'dressed to the nines' and boast luxury motorcars. Little of early 20th-century black wealth is recalled today. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Public Domain More recently, conflict has flared up on a different front. On March 27, 2025, Donald Trump Related Stories 4/9/2025 9/15/2024 These and other interpretative battles over the meaning of the American past raise questions, such as: Can history in our museums and classrooms be presented in some pure, objective form? What are the costs and benefits of revisionist history? And should the American past depicted in museums, books, and classrooms aim to amplify patriotism? Historical Interpretation Is a High-Wire Act The short answer to the first question above is an absolute no. We can learn and disseminate facts about history—the dates of the Spanish-American War, the construction of a Conestoga wagon, the numbers of American soldiers who participated in the Normandy Invasion—but these in and of themselves are trivia, nice to know but with little real value in giving us an understanding of our country's heritage. Once detectives, otherwise known as historians, begin to examine these facts, human subjectivity comes at once into play. But there's a solution. Historians, museum curators, and teachers can consciously put aside their prejudices and strive for objectivity. They can enter into the past with their eyes wide open, fully aware of its nuances and cultural proclivities, and work these realities into their approach to historic figures and events. They may point to slavery as our nation's shame, but balance then demands that they call attention to the forces that eradicated slavery, which is one of our nation's great glories. The statue of Robert E. Lee, which has towered over Monument Avenue since 1890, was removed from its plinth in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 8, 2021. Pool/Getty Images Here's a recent case in point of the damage done to our past by ideology, imbalance, and lack of nuance. In the last few years, This is a classic instance of presentism—that is, the interpretation and judgment of the past solely through the lens of the present. Those demanding the removal of the statues, and those who acquiesced, knew little of Lee's personal history and nothing of nuance. This iconoclasm is also a prime example of revisionism gone amok. Edits and Rewrites The worst-case scenario of presentism is extreme revisionism or, in some cases, attempts to blot out the past altogether. The Cultural Revolution unleashed by the Chinese Communist Party in the mid-1960s is a classic case of erasure of the past to invent a particular present. The regime and its minions, many of them young people, waged war against the 'Four Olds'—old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits—and sought the total eradication of China's classical civilization. This violent purgation of the past also saw up to 2 million people executed as well. In his article ' Shen Yun master of ceremonies Leeshai Lemish speaks at a press conference highlighting the Chinese Communist Party's transnational repression activities targeting the company, at Lincoln Center in New York City on March 26, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times On the other hand, valid reassessment is a necessary and ongoing part of historical interpretation. New evidence from archives or new methods for interpreting data, for instance, can in turn shed new light on past events, changing their meaning. Only when this revisionism becomes ideological or ignorant, unmoored from historical realities and common sense, does it pose a danger to culture and civilization. What So Proudly We Hailed And what of patriotism? Should our history books, museums, and educational institutions help build pride among Americans, or is teaching the love of country somehow a sellout? In his blurb on the back cover of McClay's 'Land of Hope,' prominent historian and teacher Gordon S. Wood writes: 'This generous but not uncritical story of our nation's history ought to be read by every American. It explains and justifies the right kind of patriotism.' By 'the right kind of patriotism,' Wood is likely referring not just to 'Land of Hope' in general but also to the Epilogue, titled 'The Shape of American Patriotism.' Here, McClay writes at length about this subject. After noting that some today regard 'patriotism as a dangerous sentiment,' which he calls 'a serious misconception,' he examines two different concepts of American patriotism. The first is made up of those universalizing ideals applicable 'to the well-being of the whole world,' an idea going all the way back to Alexander Hamilton in 'The Federalist' No. 1. The second is what McClay calls particularizing sentiments, which constitute such commonalities as history, tradition, culture, and the land itself. First edition printers' proofs for the sheet music to "God Bless America," 1938, by Irving Berlin. Library of Congress. Public Domain McClay then shows how these two ideas often blend together by pointing to Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America.' This popular song with its touching images—'Land that I love!' and 'My home sweet home!'—was composed by a Jew born in czarist Russia who immigrated to the United States and experienced firsthand the universal ideals of American liberty. The song and the man display both the universality of American ideals and a sentimental love of the nation that produced them. Moving Forward In Will Durant's earlier reflection, we see that he defined education as the 'technique of transmitting civilization.' If we wish our children to inherit American values and love of country, we must follow the example of those who came before us and ensure that the young are well-versed in our nation's history. After all, they cannot love what they do not know. Nor can they love their country if they are taught to belittle or ignore its accomplishments, to permit the blemishes of our past to smother its beauties. Here is where our museums, historians, teachers—and for that matter, all of us—must act as preservationists and promoters of that heritage and those ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that mark each one of us as Americans. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
