A Splash of Red for Juneteenth

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863; however, slaves in Texas were not informed of their newfound freedom until two years later, on June 19, 1865. This is why Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. The year Juneteenth became a federal holiday, in 2021, is the first that I first that I heard of this holiday, but upon learning its origins, I made sure to celebrate it every year. Other than the sweet cacophony of song and dance, my favorite Juneteenth tradition is eating and imbibing red foods and beverages, such as watermelon, red velvet cake, strawberry soda, and red rose sausages. As interesting as this tradition is, I realize that I never questioned the sentiment of consuming red foods on this holiday. What is the significance of the color red to Juneteenth? 

Happy Juneteenth!

Elisabeth Scott

Reference and Social Media Librarian

Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since 1865; we rang in a new era when it became an official federal holiday in 2021. MLC's 2022 Stacks and Stories podcast episode celebrating the occasion touches on the history of Juneteenth National Independence Day, Mississippi's homegrown Freedom Day (the Eighth of May), and events in Mississippi for Juneteenth. But that was last year. This year we're focusing on Juneteenth as an opportunity to learn and to educate. We've put together a list of books that focus on Black history (including Juneteenth, of course) and the Black experience, many of them from a uniquely Mississippi angle. Get your TBR ready for a slew of great reads!

Ada May Day: A Mississippi Juneteenth

Today is June 19, better known in many circles as Juneteenth. On this memorable day in 1865, slaves in Texas were told that they were free, had been free, in fact, for several years. (Want to know more about Juneteenth? Check out our nuggets from a few years ago.) Nowadays, the day is celebrated across the United States as a day of African-American heritage and freedom. One of our faithful patrons mentioned Ada May Day to us as the Mississippi alternative. We have to admit, we had to look this one up (but boy, are we glad we did!)

Ada May Day springs from the Mississippi dialect for the eighth of May. Traditionally, this was the day that, in north-central Mississippi, was celebrated as "Emancipation Day, Mr. Lincoln's Day, or Freedom Day" (Clarion Ledger). It turns out that Mississippi was surrendered to Union Army forces on May 6, 1865 by a general in rural Alabama. Conjecture and folklore state that the news didn't reach the northern Mississippi area until two days later, on May 8.

Though the day has not been taken up nationally, like Juneteenth, it is still celebrated by Mississippians. We found one such celebration in this news article from The Dispatch (covering Columbus, Starkville, and the Golden Triangle). Many thanks to the McCain Library at the University of Southern Mississippi for their help tracking down this elusive holiday. We wish you a belated Ada May and a very happy Juneteenth!

Maines, John. "Ada May." Clarion Ledger 8 May 1987. Print.

Juneteenth



“ANOTHER MARCH: Negroes Freed By the Emancipation Proclamation Enter Union Lines at Newbern, N.C.”. Image courtesy The Atlanta Century.

On this day, in 1865, Texas slaves learned they were free nearly two years following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863.  The slaves did not know they were free until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and Major General Gordon Granger read from the President’s General Order No. 3:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.  This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.  The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages.  They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere” (Gay 250).

Image courtesy Austin History Center on Wikimedia

African Americans were forced to celebrate outside of the state of Texas during some early observances of Juneteenth.  This holiday, also known as African-American Independence Day, was passed by an act of Texas legislature in 1979, marking Juneteenth as a paid holiday.  Juneteenth’s first official celebration was held in 1980 after over a century of its observance spreading through the U.S. by African Americans who moved out of Texas to reunite with family members.  It eventually was observed as an unpaid state holiday in other states as well.  Mississippi became the 36^th state to recognize Juneteenth, as of March of 2010, and is participating in a campaign to have it recognized as a National Day of Observance, like Patriot Day or Flag Day. 

Today, Juneteenth commemorations celebrate African-American heritage, renews interest in searching for African American ancestors, and provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather.  We have plenty of genealogy resources here at the Mississippi Library Commission.  Are you searching for long, lost relatives?  Are you trying to branch out your family tree?  We would love to help!

Gay, Kathlyn. African-American Holidays, Festivals, And Celebrations: The History, Customs, and Symbols Associated with Both Traditional and Contemporary Religious and Secular Events Observed by Americans of African Descent. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2007. Print

Image: Emancipation Day Celebration 1900

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19.jpg

“Press Release”. National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. 25 March 2010. Web. 19 June 2012. < http://nationaljuneteenth.com/Mississippi.html>.

Shavin, Norman. The Atlanta Century: March,1860-May,1865 [vol.3, no. 48 (153) Sunday, January 25, 1863]. Atlanta, GA: I/D Publishing Company, 1966. Print