On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger would arrive in Galveston, Texas and issue Gen. Order No. 3 which proclaimed, “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.”
Remarkably, many of the citizens of Texas and the more than 200,000 slaves that inhabited the State had failed to hear of the Emancipation Proclamation, which had gone into effect January 1, 1863. Texas would make it a state holiday in 1980, and today many states have an official day of observance to recognize the last recorded freeing of the slaves as parades, picnics, prayer services, and proclamations are all common ways that have come to represent many of the nation's official Juneteenth commemorations.
The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation has been promoting the national recognition of Juneteenth Independence Day for over 25 years in order to, “Bring attention to the historical significance of the day when the last slaves in the United States were emancipated and the significant contributions of African-Americans.” Similarly, at the age of 90, Ms. Opal Lee of Ft. Worth, Texas marched more than 1,300 miles to Washington D.C. in order to advocate that Juneteenth become a National Holiday. When asked why she embarked upon such a journey, she commented, “I just thought if a little old lady in tennis shoes was out there walking, somebody would take notice.”
Chattanooga has several ties to Juneteenth. After the Confederates had swept half the Union Army off the Chickamauga Battlefield, it was General Granger who would rush to shore up the weakening lines and help General George H. Thomas save the army. After the Civil War concluded, many of the former slaves turned to the Freeman's Bureau for assistance. It was General Oliver O. Howard who headed this agency and our very own Howard High is named in his honor.
According to a February 2000 Chattanooga Times Free Press article, Mary Walker (1848-1969) was America's last living slave and reached an age of 121. Born in Union Springs, Al., Mary Walker arrived in Chattanooga around 1917 and remained here until her death. At the age of 116 she enrolled in the Chattanooga Area Literacy Movement class and learned to read, write, and perform basic mathematics, and for this she was declared “oldest" student in the nation. In a life that spanned from the presidencies of James K. Polk to Richard Nixon, she would be alive during the signing and ratification of both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, and would go on to receive multiple Chattanooga Ambassador of Goodwill awards. The late Rev. John L. Edwards Jr. formed the Mary Walker Historical and Education Foundation in part to honor her, and in addition to promoting historical preservation and literacy the foundation helped to organize the first of Chattanooga's Juneteenth celebrations.
On this, the 153rd anniversary of Juneteenth, we would do well to remember the redemptive qualities of truth and reconciliation. In addition to events and activities, we can all join the Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr. and the NJOF, and Ms. Opal Lee in calling on the U.S. Congress to enact legislation that would make Juneteenth a binding and lasting National Holiday.
Eric A. Atkins