BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Juneteenth became a federally mandated holiday June 17, 2021.
Often called America’s Second Independence Day, Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when more than 250,000 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally received word from Union General Gordon Granger that they were freed from bondage - more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
In 2021, the Senate unanimously passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. The bill went on to be approved by the House of Representatives and was subsequently signed into law by President Joe Biden.
While Juneteenth celebrations are often celebrated by using the red, black, and green colors of the Pan-African Flag, the Juneteenth Flag was specifically designed by activist Ben Haith in 1997. According to Haith, “The Juneteenth flags represent the history and freedom for American enslaved people and their descendants.”
The flag depicts a bursting “new star” on the horizon, which represents “a new freedom, a new people, a new star.” The red, white, and blue colors illustrate that the former slaves and their descendants were all Americans.
“The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of resiliency and celebrates freedom,” said Capt. Lena Singleton, public affairs representative for the AFGSC African American Heritage Committee. “It should also be a time for education, to learn from history, and to remember that all Americans have the inherent freedom of, ‘Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.’”