by Grace Kostrzebski and Tom Ewing
June 19, 2025
Illustration, Austin-American Statesman, April 19, 1975
The adoption of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021 built upon more than a century of celebrations by Black communities of the emancipation of slaves. by the time of the Bikecentennial, fifty years ago, Juneteenth was an important history within Black communities, particularly across southern states, but it was almost unknown beyond these communities.
A headline in the Austin-American Statesman (Texas) on April 19, 1975 suggests the meaning of this holiday fifty years ago: “‘Juneteenth’ fest makes comeback with new meaning.” The article began with a quotation from a report on the day that enslaved persons in Travis County, Texas, received news of emancipation on June 19, 1865. Although local communities continued to celebrate this day, according to this article, the holiday “suffered a decline in importance during the 1950s and 1960s — the years of the birth of the civil rights movement in America.”
Juneteenth Celebration ca 1900, Austin, TX
For an older generation, Juneteenth provided a direct link to the history of enslavement and emancipation. William Kerley, a retired postal worker, remembered a Juneteenth picnic in 1908, which presumably included men and women who had been alive during the time of slavery just five decades previously. F. Valchester Scales, born in 1899, said that Blacks of his generation “knew all about Juneteenth and we couldn’t wait for it to come.” In Austin, Juneteenth celebrations were coordinated by the Emancipation Celebration Association, formed in 1904, and took place in Emancipation Park. Celebrations in the early twentieth century included parades, bands, choirs, and speeches by community leaders.
By the 1970s, according to this article, Juneteenth was regarded by a younger generation as an integral part of Black history. Charles Pace, an advisor for the “Afro-American cultural student committee” at the University of Texas, called for broader recognition of this holiday: “It is one day that is historically relevant for Southern blacks. I also think it should be honored by agencies of employment.” In this article, Juneteenth was connected to plans for the Bicentennial in 1976 as similar celebrations of independence. Scales endorsed this renewed attention to Juneteenth: “I’m proud to see the change that has come about. I don’t think we should forget our heritage. I’m not gonna disown where I was born of my past history. We make a mistake when we shut ourselves off from where we started from.”
Charles Pace ca 1976
Historical markers across Virginia recognize moments when enslaved African Americans fought for their freedom. In Mathews County, Virginia a historical marker acknowledges the risks enslaved people were willing to undertake in order to escape bondage before the Civil War – often fleeing to opposing British forces and enlisting in their army or navy. During the Civil War, many self-emancipated by fleeing to Union ships. The county’s position along the shoreline greatly assisted the enslaved’s flights to freedom. In Hampton, enslaved African Americans were legally freed as a Union general read the Emancipation Proclamation to them under an old oak tree in 1863. Yet, the enslaved in Hampton had already taken meaningful steps toward emancipation long before this official act. Mary Peake taught enslaved people how to read in 1861 despite it being against the law. Northerners continued this legacy of Peake even though she died before the proclamation was read. The Emancipation Oak now has a historical marker, but it still stands at the entrance of Hampton University – a school formed by the yearning of the enslaved to be free. A decade ago, a sculpture depicting hands holding a bird in flight honoring the 150th anniversary of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was erected in Fredericksburg. Juneteenth honors this important turning point in American history on the calendar and historical markers trace the legacies of the African American struggle for freedom across Virginia.
Emancipation Oak, Hampton, Virginia
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