As a D/E/I educator, I get contacted by many primarily or all-white churches, more each year, asking me to help them plan for Juneteeth observances, so I will discuss it here in order to help equip such communities to honor this important day in ways that are honest, holistic, and respectful.
Let’s start with a discussion of what Juneteenth actually is. Juneteenth is not the day that slavery was abolished in Texas. It is not the day that enslaved persons in Texas or in Galveston learned of their liberation (this myth was a calculated bit of history rewriting attempting to cast Black Americans as ignorant and happy to go back to living as slaves that became widespread during the many racially motivated riots and massacres of the 1920s). But Juneteeth is a “holiday” with a complex meaning, one that is anointed in blood, and that needs to be handled with care.
A bit of background information: on January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all enslaved persons in the Confederate States of America were freed (with some notable exceptions, including multiple border states and much of Indian Territory). Not surprisingly, many slave owners were less than enthused and began moving to southern Texas en masse, knowing that the Union troops enforcing the proclamation would take time to travel southward. Galveston Island in particular was thought to be a refuge where slave owners would be allowed to continue largely undisturbed, and where the fortifications could be used to protect themselves from being forced to free their slaves.
Their predictions held true until April of 1865, when General Lee finally surrendered and chaos erupted. Many troops still refused to surrender, the governor fled to Mexico, angry slave owners looted the treasury, and the situation became very bleak for enslaved persons in southern Texas, especially on Galveston Island. Though some successfully fled to Mexico and others staged strikes, owners began summarily executing their slaves, and even the more than 2,000 troops that had been sent in to restore order couldn’t make them stop. Finally, Major General Granger arrived and an organized effort to actually enforce the law began with the repeated reading/posting of General Order No. 3 in strategic locations across Galveston on June 19th.
So now that we know what Juneteenth actually is, how might churches with mostly or all non-Black members authentically commemorate this day? First and foremost, they can listen to local Black folks. If there are any in the congregation, what would they like to see? If there aren’t any in the congregation, are there any in leadership roles in the local synod, presbytery, or other adjudicatory body? If so, please let them be your guide. They know your community far better than I do and can speak with deep understanding to what the Black folks there need (please hear that this is not an invitation to “re-educate” Black folks who may have been taught false information about Juneteenth. There are many capable and dedicated Black historians who are doing just that. Please just ensure that the non-Black folks you minister to and with know the truth).
If there are not Black leaders in your congregation or local adjudicatory body, here are some guiding principles that I often share: