Juneteenth is the oldest known US celebration of the end of slavery. African Americans and others mark the anniversary much like the with parties, picnics and gatherings with family and friends.
Here’s a look at Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, by the numbers:
46,713,850 – Black or African American people (one race alone or in combination) in the United States in 2019, according to the most recent Census Bureau estimate.
3,953,760 – Estimated number of
500,000 – Estimated number of free African American people in the United States in 1860. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, about half were in the North and half were in the South.
Almost 200,000 –
901 – Days from the issuance of the on January 1, 1863, and , notifying enslaved people of their emancipation on June 19, 1865.
158 – Years since January 1, 1863, the date issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, freeing those enslaved.
156 – Years since Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger (Union Army) first read the proclamation, General Orders, No. 3, in , notifying enslaved people of their emancipation, on June 19, 1865..
149 – Age of the oldest Juneteenth celebration in the world, first held in 1872 in Emancipation Park in Houston.
“Every year we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one defines the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. That’s why we need this holiday.” — Al Edwards (D-Texas), sponsor of the bill.
47 – commemorating Juneteenth. The District of Columbia also commemorates Juneteenth.
41 – Years since January 1, 1980, when Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas. It had been celebrated informally there since 1865.
30.2 – Percentage of the population of Texas comprising
15 – States where it was legal to enslave people before the Civil War: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
13th –
8 – Consecutive years during which throughout his presidency, issued a statement to mark Juneteenth: 2009-2016.
