Post by Iterable

Understanding Juneteenth starts with knowing the history. Shanae Williams, lead of the Black @ It Affinity Group at Iterable, walks us through it in her guest post today: "This Juneteenth, as with every Juneteenth, we are proud to celebrate Black history, resilience, and achievement! As the lead of the Black @ It Affinity Group here at Iterable, I’d like to take this opportunity to delve a bit into the history of this date for those who are not familiar. You might often hear June 19th referred to as 'Freedom Day', or 'Emancipation Day’. June 19th doesn’t actually mark the literal end of slavery for everyone at once, though: it is instead the day in 1865 that Union General Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that per General Order No. 3, all remaining U.S. slaves in Texas were to be freed. The announcement came nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Even though Lincoln’s Proclamation went into effect back on January 1, 1863, it could not be fully enforced in Texas until the arrival of Granger and his troops on that momentous day. The General Order that Granger announced freed the last 250,000 enslaved people in the state. The order ran thus: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. Although the order stated that the Black people were to be freed, the very language used in it was a hint that the transition out of slavery into equality would be another long, difficult struggle. The day gained popularity as an informal holiday for people in African American communities in Texas in the years following Granger’s announcement, and later on the celebration spread to other states. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a national holiday. Even though it is a Federal holiday, only about 40% of US companies take the day off! I greatly appreciate that Iterable gives us this day off to both celebrate and reflect. If you’re thinking of ways to spend your Juneteenth, this would be a good opportunity to support a Black-owned business, attend a Juneteenth celebration in your town, or even just take a quiet moment to reflect on the importance of the date and the work that remains to be done to combat racial inequality. However you choose to spend it, I hope that you have a wonderful day!" Learn more about Black @ It and Iterable's other Affinity Groups: https://ow.ly/7ige50Zeqzv