By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to The AFRO
Those who observe and celebrate Juneteenth were afforded a plethora of programs, parties, and poignant exhibitions in Washington, D.C., on June 19 – commemorating the day in 1865 when more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas learned they were free.
But while the Emancipation Proclamation effectively ended slavery in 1863, freedom would come several years later for those who lived in places still under Confederate control.
This year, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), hundreds of visitors continued the tradition established on June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas were told that the day of jubilee had finally arrived and that they were free.
During NMAAHC’s Juneteenth Community Day, visitors of all ages were invited to gather, reflect, and celebrate through storytelling, food, music, and hands-on learning.
The day-long celebration centered on community traditions, particularly those embraced and followed by African Americans. But perhaps more important were the opportunities for serious dialogue about the ongoing meaning of freedom.
Renita Reid, along with several other adults, brought 41 teens and tweens, all members of the Youth Ministry program at Grove Baptist Church, located in Portsmouth, Va., to participate in the Juneteenth celebration at the museum.
“For a lot of our youth, this is their first time visiting the museum and we wanted to give them more opportunities to learn about African American culture and traditions,” Reid said. “We must prepare them to carry the torch for our community and to that, they have to know our history.”
One mother and her son traveled from Jersey City, N.J. to the capital city via Amtrak to attend a Juneteenth cookout hosted each year by friends. But first, they made a pit stop at the NMAAHC.
“I decided to make a day of it and go to the museum for a few hours so my son could learn more about our history, our ancestors and the achievements we’ve made, despite the many hurdles Blacks have had to face and through persistence have even overcome,” said Iraya Corley.
Corley said lessons in African American culture come sparingly for her son, Taylor Davis, who attends a school in which Black and Brown students are a super-minority.
“It’s fascinating to watch how children of different races learn about themselves and others,” she said. “I recently took my son and five of his classmates – all white boys – to a soul food restaurant in Newark and it was a revelatory experience for him and me.
“None of the boys had ever eaten soul food and they couldn’t get enough collard greens, macaroni and cheese or sweet potatoes,” she continued. “Afterwards, my son wanted to know what they usually ate during their meals.”
When asked about the origins of Juneteenth, 10-year-old Davis quickly shared his thoughts.
“Juneteenth was the day when Black people got their freedom,” he said. “They celebrated because they knew they would finally be able to do what they wanted and live where and how they wanted.
“Because they were free, they could be proud of themselves and didn’t have to worry about being forced to obey someone else,” said Davis, who added that he wants to either have a career in the military or become a lawyer or doctor when he grows up.
For Travis Cutright, 59, who lives in Arizona and traveled to D.C. along with his wife and sons to attend a family reunion in Baltimore, Md., Juneteenth reminds him of the many forms of injustice that have plagued African Americans and the price Blacks have paid to secure freedom.
“If we don’t know the truth about our past, we will never be able to move forward as a people,” Cutright said. “So, on Juneteenth, we both honor our ancestors for their diligence and show our appreciation to them for the sacrifices they made so we can now be afforded luxuries in life that they could have never imagined.”
He pointed to the president’s refusal to honor the holiday or make a statement of support as an example of the divisiveness that exists and has recently found fertile ground in America.
“Trump represents a segment of Americans who want to keep Black people living like second-class citizens,” Cutright said. “We cannot ignore the efforts of those who would prefer that the clock be turned back to the days of Jim Crow, slavery, segregation and dominance by white supremacists.”
Museum’s guests reminded of sacrifices made by Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”
As an added bonus to the events held on Juneteenth at the NMAAHC, the family of Opal Lee spoke with visitors, took pictures, and shared stories about their family matriarch.
It was due to her leadership, advocacy, and persistence that Juneteenth evolved into a federal holiday after it was signed into law under former president Joe Biden on June 17, 2021.
In 2024, Biden awarded Lee – who will turn 100 in October – the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In a message Lee posted on Instagram, she summarized her thoughts on the significance of Juneteenth for all Americans.
“Juneteenth is not a Texas thing,” she said. “It’s not a Black thing. We’re talking about freedom for everyone.”
