How is Juneteenth celebrated?
Also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day, Juneteenth celebrations began on the day's first anniversary and quickly became annual, but segregation laws later ones worked to keep the festivities off public land, pushing them to rural areas, according to Juneteenth. how. Wherever they were, the website explains, the day meant bringing families together to celebrate with prayers and barbecues. Some freed African Americans and their descendants even made pilgrimages back to Galveston to honor the occasion.
As members of the black community eventually became landowners, they were given property and devoted to these particular festivals. One of the first documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth occurred in 1872 when, according to Juneteenth.com, the Rev. Jack Yates raised enough funds to purchase 10 acres of land in Houston, creating Emancipation Park.
Cliff Robinson, the website's founder, told NBC News that, today, Juneteenth celebrations are held in most, if not all, states. In the South, especially, these celebrations “traditionally involve events like picnics, rodeos, religious components like church ceremonies and educational and historical services for children,” Robinson said.
