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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Water Cooler: How to celebrate Juneteenth

Lysa Cole, center, an event organizer with First Amendment Free, laughs as Officer Ed Richardson dances during a Juneteenth 2020 Black Lives Matter rally hosted by First Amendment Free at the Red Wagon in Riverfront Park.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

Americans have celebrated Juneteenth for more than 150 years, but Saturday marks the first time it will be celebrated as a federal holiday.

If this year is your first time participating in Juneteenth celebrations, here is a little history and a few ideas to help you commemorate the beginning of freedom for all Americans. Although slavery had been abolished in the former Confederate states by the Emancipation Proclamation released first in 1862 and then officially issued in 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom. Texas was the most remote of the slave states and a low presence of Union troops meant the news of the end of slavery was slow to travel and inconsistently enforced.

Union Maj. Gen.Gordon Granger arrived on the island of Galveston, Texas, to take command of federal troops in the area and oversee a peaceful transition of power. He sent his soldiers to march through Galveston reading General Order No. 3, which was issued to spread news of the Emancipation Proclamation and free all remaining enslaved Americans.

Formal celebrations came a year later when newly freed African Americans organized the first Jubilee Day, which would later go on to be known as Juneteenth. These initial celebrations were more than just festivities. According to a 1976 article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Juneteenth gatherings were also used to provide voting instructions for former enslaved people.

Juneteenth observances faded in popularity during the civil rights movement, but annual celebrations were resurrected by Black organizers in the 1970s, only to become more widely celebrated by the 1980s and 1990s. Activist Ben Haith created the initial design for the Juneteenth flag, which displays a star inside the outline of another star to represent “star of Texas bursting with new freedom throughout the land, over a new horizon,” according to the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation’s website.

Similar to the Fourth of July, Juneteenth is often commemorated with gatherings of friends and loved ones at parks and backyards to enjoy barbecue and other American cuisine. It is traditional to feature red drinks and food items, such as Juneteenth punch, to symbolize the blood shed by enslaved African American ancestors.

You can find great tutorials and information videos on the traditional Juneteenth foods on YouTube. Check out “The Best Foods To Celebrate Juneteenth With,” posted by Thrillist , “All Red Everything: Juneteenth Food Traditions,” posted by Localish, and “Funmi and Friends: the Food of Juneteenth,” posted by Michael Emery to learn more.

To embrace the educational roots of Juneteenth celebrations, you can use the holiday to reflect on and learn more about African American history. Visit sites like Nationaljuneteenth.com hosted by the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, Juneteenth.com, and Thejuneteenthfoundation.com, hosted by The Juneteenth Foundation, to dive into more history about the origin of the holiday and movements over time to increase its recognition.

If you would like to use the holiday as an opportunity to support local Black businesses and organizations, visit Blackspokane.com for a list of Black-owned businesses, featuring everything from restaurants and food trucks, to business services, hair salons and barber shops, and locally made goods.

To join in on local Juneteenth celebrations, visit the Inland Northwest Juneteenth Coalition website at Inwjc.org to get details about this year’s Juneteenth block party from 2-6 p.m. on South Lee Street between Sixth Avenue and Hartson Avenue in the East Central Neighborhood. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center will also host a celebration from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at 500 S. Stone St. Visit facebook.com/mlkspokane for details.