People across the United States gathered on Friday to celebrate Juneteenth. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to their presidential center during this time.
Located in a sprawling area on Chicago’s South Side, the center honors the nation’s first Black president. It aims to inspire individuals to drive change in their communities. This vision aligns with the spirit of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth’s Historical Significance
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, marking the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, following the Civil War, with an order declaring the freedom of enslaved people in the state with “absolute equality.” By then, two and a half years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation declared the liberation of enslaved people in the southern United States.
“Juneteenth is not only a commemoration of the end of slavery but also reflects the ongoing struggle for absolute equality and that ideal in American life,” said W. Caleb McDaniel, a professor at Rice University and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Sweet Taste of Liberty.”
The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center includes several days of events following a star-studded dedication ceremony. Alongside welcoming visitors on Friday, when the center opened to the public for the first time, the Obamas read stories to children gathered there.
The public opening of the center represents a symbolic convergence of legacy and liberation. The nation is deeply divided politically and grapples with renewed questions about the direction of racial progress. This comes after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, endangering Black political representation in Congress.
The nearly 20-acre site offers a museum featuring a life-sized replica of the Oval Office, a garden designed by Michelle Obama with lettuce and strawberry plants, a professional-level basketball court, a picnic area with grills, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. Visitors can explore high-tech interactive exhibits covering Obama’s campaigns, key moments of his presidency, and life in the White House.
Designed to bring people together, the center is expected to attract up to 1 million visitors annually. Yet, it also seeks to encourage personal reflection. Louise Bernard, the museum director, noted they are “inviting people to bring change home, whatever change means, whether small or large.”
The History of Juneteenth
This is the fifth year since Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday by former President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president. However, the celebrations, which began in Texas and then spread across the country, have a rich history within the Black community in the United States, often marked by picnics and outdoor gatherings.
Known as Juneteenth—a combination of “June” and “nineteenth”—the holiday marks the day when Major General Gordon Granger and his troops arrived at the Texas port city with the freedom declaration in General Order No. 3. As the Civil War neared its third year, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all persons held as slaves in the rebelling Confederate states free. However, immediate freedom was not realized for many, constituting a promise of liberation fulfilled by Union victory.
“The force of arms and the success of the United States armies were required to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation,” explained McDaniel.
About six months after Granger’s arrival in Galveston, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery nationwide.
Nationwide Celebrations This Year
In the birthplace of Juneteenth, celebrations in Galveston include an all-day gathering at a park with music and fireworks, a parade, and a religious ceremony at a historic Black church. Nearby Houston features a lineup of musical artists and a domino tournament at Emancipation Park, established in 1872 by a group of formerly enslaved men.
Hundreds of cities across the U.S. announced events for the long weekend, including a parade in Atlanta, a cycling event in Los Angeles, and a festival in Martha’s Vineyard.
Several cities throughout the United States will organize walks named after Opal Lee, the Texan woman who campaigned for years for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. Participants will walk 2.5 miles to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be fully enacted in Texas. Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” celebrates her 100th birthday this year.
Reflecting on an Ongoing Struggle
Black Texans adopted Granger’s arrival date as a celebration, even when the Ku Klux Klan was established in Texas by 1868.
“By the 1880s, it was hard to find a significant community in Texas where African Americans were not commemorating it,” McDaniel noted.
“They turned it into a community celebration, transforming it into a celebration not only of freedom but also a demonstration of community empowerment and institution-building,” he added.
Corey D.B. Walker, dean of the School of Theology at Wake Forest University, stated that the holiday offers a way to acknowledge the country’s “complex history” and what it means to be a U.S. citizen, especially amid efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to undermine the recounting of Black history.
“I believe it truly reminds people of the importance of understanding a fuller, more robust representation of our country’s history and the numerous contributions of so many who have advanced the American experiment with democracy,” he said.
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