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Some will tell you that this Saturday's Juneteenth celebration is Lincolnotn's third; it's actually the fourth.  Juneteenth, also known as African-American Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day, is a day that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865.   Celebrated on June 19th, the term is a combination of June and nineteenth, and has been recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in many states. Congress voted in 2021 to make it a federal holiday. Celebrations sometimes include parades, street fairs, family reunions, parties and historical reenactments.

If you have only recently (in the last several years) learned about Juneteenth, it's understandable.  It was never taught in North Carolina schools during the era of segregation--even the black schools like Oaklawn and Newbold never mentioned it.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863. Although it declared that slaves were to be freed in the states in rebellion against the federal government, it had little effect.  The Confederate states didn't recognize Lincoln as President and any proclamation by him was considered a statement by a foreign leader with no legal bearing.

Even after the Civil War ended, as a part of the former Confederacy, Texas did not act to comply with the Emancipation Proclamation.  Vast numbers of people were illiterate and local newspapers did not carry any news about Lincoln's proclamation. Until Union troops arrived, people lived much as they had before the war--including the continuation of slavery.

On June 18, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived on the island of Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of slaves.  The following day, June 19th, standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of "General Order No. 3."  It 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 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."

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year. But, of course, it was a very limited freedom.  They were still forbidden to travel elsewhere; they'd be told to stay where they previously lived as slaves and work for wages.  That left the door open for another form of slavery called 'sharecropping.'

Slavery had ended about a month earlier in North Carolina when Rev. S.G. Clark, a Union Cavalry Chaplain, came into the  African Moravian church in Salem (now Winston-Salem) on Sunday, May 21, 1865 and read General Order No. 32 proclaiming that “all persons held as slaves are free.”

Economic and cultural forces led to a decline in Juneteenth celebrations in the early 20th century. The Depression forced many blacks off farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate the date, and a rise in patriotism among African-American people steered more toward July 4th as Independence Day. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s focused the attention of African-American youth instead on the struggle for racial equality and celebrations during the latter part of the 20th Century involved the 1963 March on Washington (August 28th) and, of course, the January birthday of slain civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Many people--including African-Americans--didn't even know Juneteenth existed.

Following the 1968 Poor Peoples March to Washington, called by Rev. Ralph Abernathy, many attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas where the day was not previously celebrated. Throughout the 1990s and first decade of this century,  it experienced growing interest.

Lincolnton's first observance of Juneteenth was sponsored by the African-American Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party,  It was held on S. Government Street in Lincolnton.  The event included soul food from a few vendors, music and  Altriese Price-Bryant of the AAC-NCDP spoke.  After that, there wasn't another Juneteenth celebration in Lincolnton until three years ago when it was held on N. Poplar Street in front of First Federal Park.  Last year, it was held on the east Courtsquare and in the first block of E. Main Street.  This year, it has been moved to  the south Courtsquare and West Water Street and won't begin until 2 PM.

The schedule for the Lincolnton event is:

2:00 – 2:15 pm Prayer, Apostle Roslyn Bynum
2:15 – 2:30 pm Juneteenth Purpose, Minister Darnell Reinhardt
2:30 – 2:45 pm Special Olympics
2:45 – 3:00 pm Spoken Word, Jaclyn Elmore
3:00 – 3:45 pm Encounter Worship
3:45 – 4:00 pm Spoken Word, Jaclyn Elmore
4:00 – 5:00 pm African Dance, Marsha Millsaps
6:00 – 8:00 pm Next Level Band from Charlotte

 

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