By Albert Barnwright

Most of us grow up with July 4th as the day we celebrate freedom. The flags go up, the fireworks fly, and we mark the moment our nation declared its independence. It’s a proud day, and it should be. But the older I get, the more I’ve come to understand that freedom in America didn’t come all at once.

Juneteenth, observed every year on June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told they were free—more than two years after President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

I’ll be honest—it wasn’t something I grew up learning about. It wasn’t in the schoolbooks I read, and it wasn’t a holiday that was talked about or celebrated where I’m from. I had to come across it later in life, and when I did, I was grateful to learn about it.

Because Juneteenth is, at its heart, a celebration of freedom. And that’s something all of us can stand behind.

It doesn’t take away from July 4th. It adds to the full picture of what freedom has looked like across our history. Juneteenth marks the moment when more Americans heard the words they should’ve heard long before: “You are free.” That’s not just Black history. That’s American history.

You don’t need to grow up with a tradition for it to mean something to you now. You just need to believe that freedom is worth celebrating every time it reaches someone new.

So this June 19th, whether it’s your first time thinking about Juneteenth or a day that’s long been marked on your calendar, I hope you take a moment to reflect on what it represents.

Because freedom is always worth remembering.

—Albert

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Why Juneteenth Matters