JUNETEENTH: Maryland, Northeast Embrace Texas/Southern-Centric Holiday

by STEVE SPACEK June 18, 2022

Washington DC /Maryland resident and Texas Native

Maryland--a borderline government between "Old South' Virginia and "The North" Pennsylvania—is joining a recent, trendy bandwagon, of non-Southern states, then the Federal Government, to experience a "sorta" divine intervention, by seemingly, suddenly recognizing the existence (and a meaning) of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration had its roots, NOT in Maryland NOR Virginia NOR Pennsylvania NOR any northern state. But from "down South" over 1,500 miles away, in 1865, in Texas, then the westernmost part of that "Old South"…and at Galveston, then Texas' second largest city, where a Confederate (slavery) way of life was embraced and seen for several states eastward and northward, to Virginia.

Last year, on June 17, 2021, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that Juneteenth would become a permanent state holiday, a year after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam did the same for his Commonwealth on the southern side of the Potomac. But on June 19, 1980, it was Texas!--the state won from hard fighting efforts against soldiers from the Republic of Mexico by Virginia native Sam Houston and his "Texian Army" --that became the first in America with the legislative courage to make Juneteenth an official holiday for governance, a day ALL residents could honor and enjoy!

The partying and recognition of slavery's final days 157 years ago started almost immediately, as 2,500 Union ("The North") troops arrived at Galveston, then with a population of approximately 7,000 people [In 1865. only San Antonio was a larger city than Galveston in Texas, with its 8,200 population]. Troop Leader Gordon Granger read out General Orders Number Three (3) to those gathered around: "The People of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive [Abraham Lincoln] of the United States, all slaves are free!" Henceforth, more than 250,000 enslaved black (and others of color) people in the Lone Star State were immediately freed from bondage, officially American again. Locals popularly agreed to call the day and resulting celebrations as simply "Juneteenth."

I am glad Maryland…then many "Northern" and non-Southern state governments…and our Members of Congress and the White House FINALLY acknowledged what those Texans of color felt back then-- "we won't forget what slavery did to us! " A "Loud, FREE and Proud People!" wishing to generously share and celebrate these feelings with non- Texans and Americans living in once Confederate (Virginia) and non- Confederate governments (Maryland, Pennsylvania, etc). Instead, for over a century and a half their voices and emotions were ignored and sidelined; what they went through just did not matter enough to the rest of America. Until, now.