As our nation marks the historic date of June 19, 1865, known as “Juneteenth,” we asked Rooted writers from the Black church to share about the significance of the day and how they’re celebrating it with students. We pray their responses will encourage you to discuss the meaning of Juneteenth with your students—and also to tell them about the ultimate freedom we have Christ.
Curtis Dunlap
Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and hope. For those who are unaware June 19, 1865, was the day the last enslaved people in the United States, Texas to be exact, were told they were free. From my perspective this celebration is not just for people who look like me, but for anyone who rejoices in the shackles of captivity being removed from the innocent. For the Christian, in particular, it is a reminder of the freedom and hope we have through the gospel. While I celebrate the freedom my ancestors experienced on this day, I can’t help but feel immense gratitude for the freedom I live in daily because of what Jesus did on the cross.
I love what the Preacher writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. He identifies the different seasons of life and the circumstances that can sometimes accompany them. I love these verses because they encourage both dignity and empathy. I share them often with my students to remind them that God wants us to enter into the experience of others. It’s what he himself did when he sent Jesus to become a man. So, this Juneteenth, find someone who’s celebrating this reminder of freedom and the hope that it brings and celebrate with them. You’ll be glad you did.
Isaiah Marshall
During the summer, my friends and I would often play intense basketball games against other neighborhood. We’d squad up and walk to different blocks, ready to defend our street’s honor by competing in pickup games. I remember one night, I made the ultimate rookie mistake, I broke a sacred Black household rule. If you know, you know. Rule #1: don’t run in and out of the house. If you go outside, stay outside so I was always outside. Rule #2: don’t leave the door open, because “we not tryin’ to air condition the whole neighborhood,” especially when you don’t pay a single bill. But the one that sealed my fate? Rule #3: be inside before the streetlights come on. I came home late, and the next day I had to stay in the house, stuck behind a window while my friends ran free outside. That first breath of fresh air after being let out again? Freedom never tasted so sweet.
As I remember that moment of confinement, though small and self-inflicted, it makes me think about a different kind of freedom, one my ancestors experienced on June 19, 1865 on what we call Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the day when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally learned they were free, around two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. Imagine being held captive when freedom had already been declared. That’s what makes Juneteenth more than a historical footnote. It’s a celebration of long-delayed liberation and an acknowledgment of the struggle, patience, and resilience that define the Black experience in America.
For teenagers today, Juneteenth is a chance to learn, reflect, and celebrate. It’s a chance for teenagers to see history not only through the lens of American but through the lens of God’s bigger story. Juneteenth places the focus on the God who as the psalmist says, “…Brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains” (Psalm 10:14). As we focus on him, we see an innocent man, in Jesus, who once and for all defeated sin, death, and darkness by dying on the cross for our sins. That cross was the hope our ancestors clung to in their oppression. That same cross is the hope we hold today. This Juneteenth is an opportunity for teenagers to understand God’s history and see that true freedom is found in him. As Jesus says, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36 NLT). No matter what kind of chains the world tries to place on you, our freedom have already been purchased. Happy Juneteenth!
