Juneteenth is a day of profound pride for countless African Americans, with Texans taking particular pride in it. This holiday, which takes place on June 19th, marks the momentous occasion when over 250,000 enslaved individuals in Texas’s Galveston Bay were finally freed on that date in 1865, nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Celebrations for Juneteenth have been ongoing for 159 years.
Despite its vital role in American history, Juneteenth, a blend of the month and day, June 19th, was only recently designated a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It had been an official holiday in Texas since 1979.
The movement to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday was supported by many, but none were as fervent a proponent as Opal Lee, a 98-year-old retired educator, counselor, and community activist from Texas. At the age of 89, Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” embarked on a walk from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., covering two and a half miles daily to symbolize the two and a half years between Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the freedom of Texas’s enslaved population. Her perseverance was rewarded when she stood alongside President Joseph R. Biden as he signed the legislation to honor the day.
To commemorate Juneteenth, we have compiled a selection of quotes from politicians, scholars, activists, and celebrities that reflect and honor the day’s significance.
