Last year, I traveled to Galveston, Texas, to celebrate Juneteenth. Galveston is where Juneteenth originated, and I thought it would be special to go to the place where the last community of enslaved African-Americans had their emancipation enforced.

While there, we were taken on a tour of the island city. The guide identified areas of the island that were significant during the time of slavery. Perhaps the most powerful moment was when we went to the center of the town, known as Old Galveston Square. That is where the formerly enslaved had experienced lynchings but also learned of their freedom. I found myself quite emotional after it was all said and done, and the experience reminded me of the resilience of the African-American community – my community. I decided to  make it a point to become well versed in our history and, most importantly, celebrate our freedoms.

The Juneteenth flag

The Juneteenth flag is a symbol of freedom for descendants of slaves and their ancestors. The flag was created in 1977. Activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, thought up the idea, and illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought his vision to life.

“It means an awakening,” said Haith in an interview with CBS News in 2023. “I just think we are living in an interesting time. Young people are important to me. They are what we call the future generation.”

Like the American flag, the red, white and blue color scheme is to remind us that slaves and their descendants were and are Americans. Each marking on the flag has a unique meaning. 

“Our ancestors were a part of this country even though many of them were in captivity,” Haith said. “A lot of young people have come to understand that.”

The arc

The arc that extends across the flag represents a new horizon. It signals the opportunities and promises that lay ahead for Black Americans. 

The star

The white star in the center represents both Texas, known as the Lone Star State, and the freedom of African-Americans in all 50 states. 

The burst

The bursting outline around the star is inspired by a nova, an astronomical event that looks like a new star in the sky. This represents a new beginning for African Americans. 

The date 

June 19, 1865, marks the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston learned of their emancipation and became “official” American citizens when Union troops arrived with General Orders, No. 3. This order was delivered more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

While Juneteenth wasn’t officially recognized as a federal holiday until 2021, the celebrations have been going on since as early as 1866, the year after the U.S. Union army arrived in Galveston and told the more than 250,000 enslaved residents of the city that they were free.  African Americans have celebrated Juneteenth with picnics, rodeos, education, activism and more. It’s important to learn these traditions and customs as we go out into the community and celebrate to ensure that we are respecting the community the holiday is intended to serve.

From faith to food

The first observations were faith-centered. Former slaves dressed in new clothing to represent their newfound freedom and attended prayer meetings. As the holiday began to spread across the South, it became more of a celebration shifting from the church-centered model to gatherings around food and music. In African-American culture, homemade foods are often a staple of family and community gatherings. Watermelon, barbecue, and any other red-colored food or beverages are all traditional dishes for the Juneteenth holiday. They  symbolize the resilience of the African-American people. 

Why red foods?

There have been different theories as to why the color red is important to Juneteenth. Some have said it represents the blood shed by slaves who were killed at the hands of slavery and the Civil War. 

Others believe the color red could be connected to the Asante and Yoruba tribes,  who are spread throughout current day Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those tribes would offer up an animal blood sacrifice to their ancestors and gods, according to Fred Opie, professor of history and foodways at Babson College.

Professor Joy Bostic, associate dean at Case Western Reserve University’s College of Arts and Sciences and director of the school’s African and African American Studies Minor, didn’t know about Juneteenth growing up in Indiana, but she recalls that red drinks were central to celebrations in her family, especially in summer. 

“Those are tied to both the Caribbean and West Africa, particularly around hibiscus,” she said. But she acknowledged that some argue red represents the spilled blood of African people and their descendants.

Some of the most popular red foods on Juneteenth menus include watermelon, red velvet cake, cherries, strawberries, strawberry soda and red hot link sausages. 

Watermelon in particular plays an important role on the Juneteenth menu. It was easily cultivated in hot and humid climates of the southern United States. Slaves were often given watermelon to celebrate the Fourth of July. After emancipation, watermelon became a symbol of Juneteenth and the freedom that African Americans had fought for. June is when watermelon season is at its peak in certain areas of Texas.

Formerly enslaved individuals would avoid sharecropping on white-owned plantations by growing, consuming and selling watermelon grown on their own lands. Watermelon provided income for African-American farmers and their families. This led to watermelon being viewed by the formerly enslaved with a sense of liberation and fortune before some  negative stereotypes were cast upon the fruit in recent years. 

Barbecue

Barbecue is rooted in the African-American tradition of pit cooking. This method involved digging and  burying hot coals with the food. Seeing as how enslaved people were assigned the most laborious tasks, they were able to practice and perfect their craft throughout their years of enslavement. Cooking for their respective owners and their families, taking care of and preparing livestock for meals, and cotton picking were just some of the physically taxing tasks slaves performed daily. After emancipation, they took those same cooking techniques with them while incorporating their own regional ingredients and flavors.