By Anushka Dole
STAFF WRITER
Since it was declared a national holiday by a unanimous vote in the Senate in 2021, America has started to collectively recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. As a result, the Andover community has also begun to observe the day.
According to the Smithsonian, Juneteenth “marks our country’s second independence day.” It celebrates the freedom of slaves, which officially occurred on January 1, 1863, the date that the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. The proclamation had been issued by President Abraham Lincoln in the year prior, which announced that all slaves in the Confederate States were now free. Six months after the proclamation took effect, only a few towns in which slavery was yet to be abolished remained. Finally, on June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger issued an order that removed the final shackles of slavery from a small town in Texas, the last one in the United States to hold out against the changing times. The date June 19 was thus recognized as “Juneteenth” by the people of the time.
Despite its rich and historically-significant past, Juneteenth is a holiday that remains largely unknown. Erin Cherry, who teaches Modern History and American History, is working to remedy this in class. She said that “Black history is American history, and part of the American experience, so it is an important component of all history classes,” and that class discussions center around “how we memorialize history; whose voices are heard historically and whose are silenced,”
On the whole, the main theme that Cherry wants students to understand about Juneteenth is that “this is a new celebration that we’re undertaking, as a nation. This is a time that has been celebrated by African American communities, and allies, for a long time, but it’s a new holiday for the nation, and it really shouldn’t be.”
In addition to learning about it in class, one can also attend celebrations to learn more about Juneteenth and Black history. In general, according to Britannica, events such as prayer and religious services, gatherings, picnics, speeches, and festivals with food, drink, and dancing are commonplace.
For the past two years, Andover has held a celebration organized by the Andover Baptist Church and supported by the Town of Andover to commemorate June 19. This year’s celebration will include singers, speakers, and many programs and activities. Last year’s celebration included a color guard show, spoken word poetry, exhibits showcasing Black culture, and all kinds of music.
Ralph Bledsoe, a science teacher at AHS and keynote speaker at Andover’s Juneteenth commemoration, said that he “first heard about [the holiday] five or six years ago,” but that he initially “never considered Juneteenth worth following.”
“It [is] the celebration of the freedom of slaves,” he said. “I am not a slave, never was a slave. I try to keep that past separate from myself, because it is demeaning; it’s evil.”
Instead, he connected with Juneteenth when all of America became conscious of the holiday.
“When everybody says, ‘We’re all celebrating this,’ that’s worth celebrating,” he concluded.
