DEI Educator Guide

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African-Americans in
Galveston, Texas, were told they were free. A century and a half later, people in cities and towns across the U.S. continue to celebrate the occasion.

The history of Juneteenth, slavery, and deferred freedom is filled with heroes, plots, and interesting twists. For many of African descent, Juneteenth is a day to commemorate the official ending of American slavery. Slavery did not end with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Not until June 19, 1865 was slavery abolished--two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the landmark mandate on January 1, 1863. However, blacks, such as those in Texas, remained in bondage until 1865. Because black Texans remained in bondage nearly three years beyond the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, they are, at a minimum, entitled to reparations comparable to two and a half years of unpaid backbreaking labor. Over the past ten years reparation has been one of the most hotly contested issues in American politics. The matter of reparations is a politically charged issue that is polarized along racial lines. The African-American community favors reparations, whereas the white community disagrees with support for reparations. While this author believes that blacks are owed reparations, this paper approaches the matter from a somewhat different angle. This essay focuses on the two and half years black Texans spent enslaved after the signing of the emancipation proclamation.