Dear SDSU Community,

Happy Juneteenth! As we prepare for our fourth annual Juneteenth celebration, we reflect on the words from Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of California’s 2024 proclamation in observance of the holiday:

“America does not only celebrate our independence on July 4. Each year on June 19, we look back to this day in 1865, on which Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the insidious institution of slavery. Thousands of enslaved people in Texas, among the last to learn of their independence, were finally freed – more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”

Observing Juneteenth

SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley will be closed on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth, which is both a federal and California state holiday.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making Juneteenth a federal holiday. This historic legislation was a significant step in acknowledging the importance of this day nationwide.

On June 17, 2023, Newsom issued a proclamation establishing June 19 as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance.”

Various cities and communities across the country have celebrated Juneteenth since the 19th century and, more recently, with the resurgence of the remembrances in the late 1960s during the Black Power and Civil Rights eras. Additional holiday remembrances have grown exponentially across the country in recent years.

The Creation of Juneteenth

The National Museum of African American History and Culture shares that:

“On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. With the principles of self-determination, citizenship, and democracy magnifying their hopes and dreams, those Texans held fast to the promise of true liberty for all.”

While it is commonly known that the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, the order did not result in freedom being extended to all African Americans who had been enslaved. The night before, many African Americans – enslaved and free – had gathered at churches and homes during what is called “Freedom’s Eve” awaiting the news that the Emancipation Proclamation had lived up to the government’s promise. There were no radios, televisions or computers to spread the word, and Black and white Union soldiers went from territory to territory spreading the word about “freedom.”

It took more than two years for the good news about slavery being outlawed to make it to Texas, specifically Galveston, when those Union troops arrived to inform the 250,000 African Americans who remained enslaved that they were free.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, is a blend of “June” and “nineteenth,” commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. It marks the day the Union General Gordon Granger arrived with troops in Galveston, Texas – as Texas was one of the last strongholds of slavery – to enforce the proclamation. On that day, Ganger announced the order, proclaiming the enslaved peoples as freed.

Juneteenth has since become a symbol and celebration of African American freedom, perseverance and heritage and is honored throughout the nation with parades, cultural events, educational programs and other activities.

Join Us

This year, as in many previous years in San Diego County, there are celebrations from Oceanside to downtown San Diego planned for Juneteenth weekend.

Finally, if you are interested in expanding your knowledge about the Africana experience, we encourage you to consider taking an Africana Studies course and visiting SDSU Library’s large collection of Black authors. For more information about Africana Studies, visit the Africana Studies Department’s website for details.

Chris Manning, Ph.D. Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity

Malcolm Oliver II, Ph.D. Director for the Gus and Emma Thompson Black Resource Center