The History and Corporatization of Juneteenth

Written by: Becca Williams, SBT Copywriter 

(Cover image is the Juneteenth flag - image and information can be found here)

This week, we’ll be talking about Juneteenth.  I’m sure many outlets will be focusing on this topic in the coming days, and given Juneteenth’s recent popularity among White folx and large corporations I would be surprised if this turns out to be the only place you hear about it.  We’ll get into the history as well as the recent corporatization of Juneteenth, which is a pretty nuanced and complicated discussion (aren’t they all?). 

After George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing social uprisings, 2020 was the year that many White folx learned of Juneteenth for the first time.  We questioned our allegiance to the 4^th of July and our rather over-the-top celebration of 1776, the year marking the independence of White Americans from under British rule.  An interesting aside here is that over 20,000 Black soldiers fought for the Loyalist (British) army, compared to the 5,000 Black soldiers that served with the Continental (US) Army.  Unlike the Continental soldiers, the Black soldiers that fought for the British were promised freedom, albeit in the harsh land of Nova Scotia, in return for their service, though they weren’t promised much else in terms of economic stability or land.  

Juneteenth has been an integral, searing, and truth-bearing part of our collective history since 1865, and finally became a federal holiday in June of 2021 after years of activism. While making it a holiday has been celebrated, there is some pushback.  I listened to a few podcasts and watched some videos that pointed out the performativity of creating a federal holiday while there are still a disproportionate amount of Black people incarcerated, police brutality is ongoing, COVID deaths haven’t stopped impacting the Black community, voter rights are being whittled away, laws against teaching the truth about our history are getting passed, and anti-Black racism seems all around to be on the rise.  Multiple truths can exist around this. 

(A new Juneteenth mural in Galveston, TX)

With that, let’s jump into some of the history.  I bet many of us know that Juneteenth celebrates the day, June 19^th, 1865 when enslaved Black folx in Galveston, Texas discovered they were free, months or years (depending on you frame it) after they actually were.

It’s interesting to me that there are so many different narratives available as to when the enslavement of Black folx actually ended and what exactly precipitated it: the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, the passage of the 13^th Amendment.  It’s extraordinarily multi-layered – it involved the unraveling and picking apart of an institution that had been the foundation of every facet of our society and our economy for centuries.  The causes and effects of this institution are still so deeply rooted in who we are and how we function.  I wonder what would have happened had conversations around reparations, truth, grief, social services, the immersive nature of racism, and accountability occurred on a national, state, and local level. 

In January of 1863, a full two years before the Civil War ended, President Lincoln and his Secretary of State signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  Many folx view this document as being what effectively emancipated enslaved folx, however the South had seceded at that point in time, with its own currency and its own leadership.  Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation only applied to parts of the Confederacy that were still in a state of rebellion and not to the “border states”, like Kentucky and Maryland.  Lincoln knew this would have to be followed by a constitutional amendment.  

In April 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Virginia.  Another aside, here is a [Wikipedia] list of all the statues, monuments, and roads named after Robert E. Lee, many of which were likely paid for and cared for by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, whom we know a bit about.   This surrender effectively ended the Civil War, although thousands of Black folx remained enslaved.  As historian W. Caleb McDaniel notes, and as is quoted in this video, “Slavery did not end cleanly or in a single day.  It ended through a violent, uneven process.” 

Alright, now that we have some context:  On June 19^th, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger came to Galveston, Texas to tell the enslaved folx there that the war had ended and they were effectively free.   Texas was relatively insulated from the Civil War, and enslavers in Texas refused to release enslaved folx after the Emancipation Proclamation.  There weren’t too many Civil War battles fought in Texas, and it became a place where enslavers from states like Mississippi and Louisiana would hide enslaved folx when they sensed the Union forces were en route.

(General Order 3) 

Granger read from what is known as General Order 3, which among other things, states, “The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages.”  Which, to me, doesn’t really sound like freedom. All of a sudden, the relationship between enslaver and enslaved would transform into one of employer and employee?  That after over two centuries of enslavement, enslaved folx were to find ways to take care of themselves without the protection or support from the government, or a means to locate loved ones? Which they did. This was, remember, the same government that initially legalized enslavement. Through Freedom Colonies, many formerly enslaved folx did find a way to care for themselves and their loved ones and many spread word through local networks or placed ads in newspapers searching for separated family members.

There are a few accounts of how this information was shared with the 250,000 enslaved Black folx in Texas.  In this video, also linked above, Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott tells a story of General Order 3 being read aloud from the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, with this beautiful imagery of the very first Juneteenth celebration taking place right there, in the songs and dances of the Black folx underneath that very balcony.  And, as this video – also linked above – mentions, in 1865 Black soldiers represented 75% of Union troops in Texas, meaning they were likely the ones bringing this message. 

Alas, the concept of enslaved folx “learning about their freedom” is not entirely accurate.  Throughout the Civil War, many thousands of slaves freed themselves by running away to Union lines in addition to the other routes utilized, such as the Underground Railroad.  I have read from various sources that between 500,000 and 800,000 enslaved folx fled slavery during this time, and this article points out that in certain counties in Virginia and North Carolina, between 60 and 70% of enslaved Black adults had left plantations by 1865.  

 

 

 

(Formerly enslaved folx and Civil War refugees on the Union Lines, in what was called a "contraband camp")

Where are we now? Well, Juneteenth has been celebrated for over 150 years. There are many ways to commemorate this holiday, and parades and celebrations are held all over the world. There is a lot of symbolic food and drink to be had on Juneteenth, and there are multiple flags flown, including the red, green, and black Pan-African flag, and the red, white and blue Juneteenth flag, specifically designed to acknowledge history, new horizons, and the idea that Black history is, indeed, American history.

Juneteenth has also become pretty corporatized in the last few years.  Companies have taken advantage of the changing social tide to turn a profit in myriad out-of-touch and offensive ways.  The corporatization of any holiday is problematic as it places capitalism over the human experience.  The corporatization of holidays specifically celebrating the resistance of oppressed groups is particularly nefarious.  It is not only performative, but calls to question larger systemic dynamics around representation.  It diminishes what the holiday stands for and shifts the spotlight toward financial gain through the marketing of products that are otherwise unrelated to the holiday itself. Who profits from the struggle of oppressed groups, and where does that money go?  There are certainly Black folx who will be working on Juneteenth despite its holiday status, and likely there are pointed examples of these companies treating their Black labor force unfairly. 

Let’s take Walmart for example.  Walmart has discriminated against Black employees and racially profiled Black customers, in addition to providing meager pay and health insurance benefits.  Recently, Walmart began selling Juneteenth-themed items such as party plates and napkins, alongside their own branded Juneteenth ice cream.  The ice cream container reads, “Share and celebrate African American culture, emancipation and enduring hope”.  Walmart eventually apologized and pulled the ice cream from its shelves. 

(Juneteenth-themed tweet from the SJ Sharks)

 There have been other corporate efforts to commemorate Juneteenth, including one IKEA store’s attempt to serve the stereotypical fried chicken and watermelon to their employees without addressing the racist undertones or history behind those food items, and a since-retracted tweet from the San Jose Sharks, a hockey team, that shows their traditional shark logo biting through a set of chains that binds together two Black arms.   A chemical manufacturing company called Balchem Corporation attempted to trademark “Juneteenth” to use for certain food and beverage “flavor enhancers”.  They ended up dropping their bid, but the audacity remains.  That White-owned corporations think it’s alright for them to profit from a holiday celebrating the resilience and emancipation of Black folx is the ultimate expression of White Supremacy.  It is also a tactic – usurping the inherent power of Juneteenth and forcing it under the umbrella of capitalism in an attempt remove its community roots.

 Take some time to further explore the history of Juneteenth and where the celebrations are near you.  We want you to observe this holiday and all of its history.  You can easily find local events and/or businesses to support this coming weekend, and we hope you have a wonderful time!