06/19/2026
Although was made a federal holiday in 2021 under President Joe Biden, it’s significance and roots date back to 1865 in Texas. On June 19, 1865, orders were read announcing that the enslaved people in Texas were free. In 1866, the first celebration was held, and celebrations quickly spread across the state. While early celebrations included parades, BBQs, rodeos, and pageants, a lesser-known fact about Juneteenth is that they were primarily used to teach newly emancipated African Americans about their voting rights.
These community-based political rallies served as safe spaces for Black Texans to organize, purchase land, and set political agendas. It would be nearly 100 years before African Americans’ right to vote was protected with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and not even 61 years later before it was compromised by the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais this year. As an advocacy organization, this Juneteenth we want to honor the legacy of civil rights leaders from Texas such as Juanita Craft, Barbara Jordan, and Hattie Mae White.
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Photo source: Houston Public Library (Two women, Martha Yates Jones and Pinkie Yates, sit in a horse-drawn buggy decorated for a Juneteenth celebration in the city of Houston)
