NJEA is joining individuals and organizations nationwide in celebrating the 160th Juneteenth, a day that marks the end of slavery in the United States. This celebration follows New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s 2020 legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a public holiday in the state. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making it a federal holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing that all enslaved people were free. This announcement came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Granger’s General Orders No. 3 stated: “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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
Juneteenth is widely celebrated as marking the end of slavery in the U.S., with various activities such as educational events, festivals, parades, family gatherings, community service activities, supporting Black-owned businesses, and visiting historical sites.
There is always more to learn about Black history as it is integral to understanding American history and culture. Some resources include “Black history is New Jersey history,” Amistad immersive field trip experiences, and teaching Black history through New Jersey schools’ Amistad Curriculum.
Powerful ways to honor Juneteenth include learning its full history beyond headlines; visiting museums like African American Heritage Museum (Atlantic City), Afro-American History Society Museum (Jersey City), African American Museum (Philadelphia), or exploring online resources like those at NJOF or NJM.
Supporting Black-owned businesses year-round is encouraged alongside reading works by Black authors such as “Black Reconstruction” by W.E.B. Du Bois or “A Black Woman’s History of the United States” by Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross.
Donations can be made to organizations working towards justice and liberation including Equal Justice Initiative, National Juneteenth Museum, Color of Change among others listed above.
Classroom resources for celebrating Juneteenth are available on nea.org along with materials for teaching about freedom’s meaning.
