On June 19th, Twitter users will be celebrating an important historical event, now referred to as Junteenth (also called Emancipation Day or Freedom Day). Before I get into the details of the event, let me first give you a brief introduction about what Juneteenth is.
On June 19th, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger led his troops of Union soldiers to Galveston, Texas. They were there to announce the end of the Civil War and free all slaves. While Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took place 2-1/2 years prior to the war’s end, many African Americans in Texas were still enslaved.
Today, many states celebrate this great event annually. Juneteenth is a day to reflect upon the nation’s period of slavery, the overwhelming emotions of the newly freed slaves, and how racism still affects us today. It is the oldest known celebration of the abolishment of slavery in the United States.
At the time of this posting, Juneteenth is recognized as a holiday in 36 states and the District of Columbia. These states include: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Juneteenth events also take place online. One such online event is called FreedomTweet.
FreedomTweet will take place on Twitter on Junteenth. Twitter users will answer the question “What does freedom mean to you?” using the Hash tag, #FreedomTweet. Answers must be written in 140 characters or less. The goal is that “tweeters” will post their answer at least once during the event, but participants can post as many answers as they would like. Since freedom affects us all, FreedomTweet is open for everyone to participate.
I plan to participate in the FreedomTweet event. Will you be doing so, also?
Note: The photo above was taken at a Junteenth celebration in 1900.