Texas and Juneteenth
(image via Michael Hogue)
By Sasha Ashton
My Black identity and my Texan identity are inseparable. I was raised by a family with roots in Texas spanning several generations. Even as the Black community in Austin dwindled around us, Juneteenth was a community event I looked forward to every year. As a child, I spent the day playing outside the George Washington Carver Center with other little kids, eating my favorite food, and learning about Black American history. I knew it was a day to celebrate being Black and Texan. I knew it marked my ancestors being freed from slavery. I left Texas nearly two years ago now. During the Pandemic, and being thousands of miles from home, Juneteenth was spent inside, reading as much as I could about it. I've also become intimately familiar with people's misconceptions about Texas in these two years. Too often, people are shocked to learn how proud I am to be a Texan. Many are oblivious to the unique culture and history of our Black community because of stereotypes. Juneteenth isn't just a celebration of freedom—it's an opportunity to rectify those misunderstandings.
On June 19th, 1865, two and a half years after Emancipation, enslaved people in Texas finally learned of their freedom. The celebration, or Jubilee, is what we know now as Juneteenth. At the end of the 19th century, Black life was limited in every way—including what food we had access to and where we could gather. Segregation created rigid boundaries around Black celebrations, many of which have become Juneteenth traditions. Because Black people were banned from public parks, many of the first Juneteenth celebrations occurred on land that whole communities came together to buy. Emancipation Park in Houston is one of these sites.
Many think Texas was the only state, or one of few, where slavery persisted post-Emancipation Proclamation. However, the Emancipation Proclamation, ordered on January 1st, 1863, only ended slavery in the confederate states. Delaware and Kentucky continued the institution of slavery until the 13th Amendment went into effect on December 5th, 1865.
We don't celebrate Juneteenth because it's the day the last enslaved Black people were freed—that day will not come until we abolish prisons. Instead, Juneteenth is a celebration of the rich African American culture that persisted in Texas through slavery and has continued to persist through the oppression since then.
Food is a huge part of Juneteenth culture. Various red foods and drinks are incorporated—red beans and rice, hibiscus tea, and red velvet cake are staples. Texas' own Big Red Soda has become a common fixture of Juneteenth celebrations…
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Sasha Ashton is a writer from Austin, Texas living and working in Philadelphia, PA. For more from Sasha, you can find her on Instagram @blackfilmenjoyer.