06/18/2026
On July 4th, 1777, America lit fireworks and fired cannons to celebrate its official Independence Day, following the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in the previous year.
In the midst of these celebrations, Black Americans were not free.
America would celebrate its independence for 88 more years under the demented hand of slavery before Black Americans could taste the stagnant waters of freedom.
On June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to alert the last enslaved people in the last town at the very tip of Texas that slavery had been abolished. They were legally and finally free following the end of the Civil War. It took the soldiers two months to make the journey that commemorated this cultural celebration.
What started in Galveston, Texas, has spread nationwide, with communities across the US celebrating freedom in Blackness. How will you celebrate this Independence Day? ✊🏿
Happy Juneteenth!