On Sunday, June 18, the eve of Juneteenth, the Brooklyn Museum hosted its third annual event honoring the holiday commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. As the seminal moment in history goes: On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger—a U.S. army officer and Union General—issued an edict in Galveston, Texas, declaring that all slaves were free under the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that was passed two and a half years before Granger’s arrival.
For well over a century, Juneteenth was celebrated by many Black communities, especially in the South and Midwest. But it was hardly acknowledged on a national scale; it wasn’t until the Black Lives Matter movement reached a fever pitch in 2020 that others took notice. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
Hundreds gathered at the Brooklyn Museum this year to remember the past and enjoy the present. The event, aptly named Juneteenth Jubilee, featured activities such as art-making, an exhibition tour, and a dance performance. Music also blasted throughout the outdoor Sculpture Garden, where a crowd gathered to do the electric slide as Maze and Frankie Beverly’s anthem “Before I Let Go” flooded the space.
In collaboration with the museum, the collective Souls in Focus photographed attendees who posed in front of an installation created by artist Lamar Bryant of The James Umbrella Creative. Bryant constructed a living room with a record player and a gray patterned couch in front of a rust-hued wall with bare photo frames. “The wall is centered around this idea that the history of portraiture was very different back in the day,” Bryant told W. “They took pictures of us to sell us, and now we can take pictures to celebrate our joy and happiness. I left the frames empty for a reason—you can create your own stories, create your own narrative.”
W spoke to some of the photo subjects about what Juneteenth means to them, and how they feel about the holiday receiving more recognition over the past three years.
“Juneteenth is a reflection of how Black people turned our struggles and the things that we’ve overcome into celebration. When slavery ended, slavery didn’t really end. So for us to have a moment to say, ‘Our liberation day is not July 4, our liberation day is June 19,’ it’s for us to come together to fellowship, to love on each other, to dance, to drink, to listen to music. I love how it’s been embraced so much, especially within the past few years.” —D’Amber Allen (left), 31
“Juneteenth is a celebration of joy and life and also a remembrance of our ancestors. Growing up, Juneteenth wasn’t a big thing here in New York. I think the first time I celebrated was in 2020, and it was just so joyous and beautiful. There’s so much unity. So, to me, Juneteenth is about our ancestors and community.” —Azikiwe Aboagye, 35; with Ajani Aboagye, 4 months.
“It’s a celebration of us acknowledging our culture. Companies are trying to get involved, and it’s a molecule of a start, but we have a long way to go.” —DeShawn Cole, 40
“I’m from Texas, so knowing that those slaves were enslaved for an extra two years due to lack of information and because they were prevented from sharing information and reading, it’s kind of sad. I do appreciate the day, but I feel like it’s become commodified in a way. With the Black community, it’s kept its meaning, but for other communities, I don’t think people are still caring about the deep social issues that were at the root. They’re not really thinking about the history of the holiday.” —A’nysha Aileen
“Juneteenth means freedom—as simple as that. It’s freedom for us all, not just some. After 2020 and Covid, and everything that’s happened with people dying at the hands of police, I think now it’s more freeing and more celebratory. We do always have that in the back of our minds as Black people, but we’re getting to celebrate this as a win.” —Nandi Newton, 27
“It means celebrating your Blackness. You just celebrate the skin that you’re in, be happy, and be around the people you care about.” —Henry Kelly, 30
“What it meant back then has changed now. But I do feel like it’s an opportunity for other people to see how we celebrate our community and beautiful Black culture. There’s a lot of modern-day guilt, and I’m like, ‘Are we scratching the surface of reparations?’ But reparations is a lot more than just throwing money at Black people and saying, ‘Here, I’m sorry.’ I want somebody to show me what to do with that money, show me how I can invest it and grow it. How can I buy my first home? Show me how to make that money work for me.” —Danica Joseph, 41
“Juneteenth means freedom. It means love, expression of culture, and looking forward to the future while remembering our past. Looking at the political landscape and the conversation when it comes to Juneteenth, diversity, and inclusion, I don’t think it’s keeping the same energy, sadly. I hope that we just continue to remind ourselves of our history and the beauty of it, because that’s the work we need to do for ourselves. The outside influences will never do that work for us.” —Tania Joseph (left), 26
“I was actually talking about this in a forum at work. I think there’s always some sort of reeducation that we’re going through, as Black people. Juneteenth is refocusing on a history that wasn’t really shared. The history in the Texas community has always been celebrated. Yes, in many ways, what happened in 2020 amplified the story, and, yes, I think there was a lot of corporatization involved in that. But that’s still part of our history. I think everyone is trying to reeducate themselves and reclaim it and understand what it actually means for us. And that’s going to be a process and a matter of people respecting that process.” —Jorett Joseph (right), 30
“Juneteenth means memory, pride, and overcoming struggles. I would like to see more energy behind this holiday. I want to see our people, Black people, really take this holiday as a way of moving forward, knowing that our ancestors have paved the way through their struggles and their strength and knowing that that’s in our DNA.” —Philip McGowan (left), 53
“It means freedom. It was the first opportunity for us to realize that we were accepted as something more rather than something less. It was always ‘three-fifths of a man,’ but this gave us the opportunity to realize we’re greater than that. It’s a federal holiday now, so that has added to the recognition of it. But at the same time, I don’t think it has the same luster. We’re from Texas, so I knew what Juneteenth was my whole life. Then when I got to Hampton University, the way we celebrated was more underground—those who knew, knew, and those who didn’t were surprised when they found out.” —Kenneth Washington (left), 46
“Juneteenth, especially now, is an acknowledgment of our history and of our past and how we’re trying to move forward from a lot of those mistakes that were made years ago. It’s also a promise to change. Of course we have a lot of systemic issues that are still happening in society, but I think Juneteenth being recognized as a federal holiday is a very big deal.
Post-George Floyd, a lot of what was happening was performative. We had people doing the black squares and thinking that was enough to end our systemic issues, and it’s not. A lot of those issues can be changed through policy changes and shifting mindsets. Unfortunately, a lot of people are taught to be racist instead of anti-racist. Now that some of the heat has died down from the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, people are being a little bit more mindful of what they’re putting out in support of Juneteenth to make sure it actually sticks. Because, similar to Black History Month, Juneteenth is every day, just like how Black History Month is every day. Slavery is a big part of American history. There is no America without slaves. There’s still a lot of work to be done in order to make a lot of what we see associated with Juneteenth to be less performative.” —Alycia Washington (right), 26
“Juneteenth is a celebration of when slavery ended!” —Kataleya Washington (middle), 9
“I’m Black American, so Juneteenth means a lot to me. It’s not just about abolition, it’s not just about freedom—it’s also about resilience. It’s revolutionary to take a holiday such as this, something as dark as slavery, and turn it into something celebratory. We’re celebrating life, Black culture, and Black beauty.
I’m hoping for more lively expressions of our freedom. We don’t always have to celebrate in spite of tragedy. But I do know that we’re still miles from where we need to be as far as what’s going on with Black people in this country. Not much has changed since 2020—if anything, it’s gotten worse. But as far as Juneteenth goes, I do appreciate that we have people still keeping the culture and the significance of Black joy alive.
I definitely see Juneteenth being gentrified and commodified in a way that I don’t like. But, sometimes, you can’t worry about that. You’ve got to be Black, and you’ve got to celebrate, and keep it authentic.” —Kay Hollins (left), 26
“Juneteenth, to me, is basically July 4. We’re celebrating our independence. We’re taking tragedy and hardships that our ancestors have experienced in the past and turning it into something celebratory. In 2020, the world was forced to stop and think about all the tragic hardships that we as Black people have gone through in America. So during that time, especially in the midst of highlighting police brutality, there was more of a focus. I do credit the year 2020 for why we even have Juneteenth as a federal holiday today. So I’m still thankful for that.” —Carolann Lowe (right), 25
“Juneteenth means real freedom. It means a chance to be myself, and it means a chance for me to finally romanticize my own life and to stop trying to strive for everybody’s life.” —Courtney James, 33
