| Christina_Rosetti The comparison of the campaigns of Reform Party Presidential Candidate and LGTBI Activist/Spiritual Lecturer, Christina Rosetti and that of the other Reform Party Candidate, Patrick Buchanan. |
| Debra_Davis_and_the_Gender_Education_Center Transgender resources and information. Ms. Davis is a transgender High School librarian who transitioned on her job in 1998. Gender Education Center is a Minnesota non-profit organization of differen |
| Fighting_Bigoted_Journalism A well-articulated objection to Dea Birkett's article slamming the rights of transuals to gender reassignment surgery. Includes rules and tips for non-trans journalists. |
| Gender_Education_&_Advocacy The web site of Gender Education and Advocacy, providing resources and activism for the transgender community. "The organization for gender variant people for the new millennium." Divisions include " |
| Gender_Patriots Article by gay columnist argues that gays are not part of a broad transgender movement. He's a man, and proud of it. |
| GenderPAC A not-for-profit organization, composed of individuals and groups, dedicated to a broad-based, inclusive national movement for "gender, affectional, and racial equality." |
| GIDReform Advocacy and education to revise "gender identity disorder" as defined by the DSM. |
| HRC-Watch__The_Subversion_of_the_American_Transgender_Movement Why TG activists are enraged with the Human Rights Campaign. (site not updated in past year. |
| In_Her_Own_Image__Transgender_Activist_Pauline_Park Interview with transgender activist and Korean adoptee, Pauline Park, about racism and transgender issues. |
| International_Foundation_for_Gender_Education,_The IFGE is a leading advocate and educational organization for promoting the self-definition and free expression of individual gender identity, and an excellent source of transgender news and information |
| Lambda_Letters_Project Helping members and friends affect public policy in areas of concern to the communities of HIV/aids, l/g/b/t, women and people of color. |
| Massachusetts_Transgender_Political_Coalition Boston and Boston-area residents working to eradicate discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression |
| NCLR_-_Transgender_Law_Project Transgender Law Project (TLP) creates legal advocacy for the San Francisco transgender community. TLP is co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Pride Law Fund. |
| Page_of_Rage Page of Rage documents crimes against individuals whose gender expression differs from social expectations. Not updated in past year. |
| Phyllis_Randolph_Frye_-_Attorney_at_Law,_Houston,_Texas Legendary TG activist and attorney - her website. |
| QueerTheory__Trans_101 Issues facing the transgender community: internal unity, medical care, police interaction, law and civil rights, support resources in the Philadelphia area. |
| Remembering_Our_Dead_-_Transgendered A website dedicated to preserving the memory of transgender individuals murdered by hate and killed by predjudice. |
| Story_of_Christie_Lee_Littleton Texas woman whose marriage was invalidated and declared a man by the Texas Supreme Court. Also medical, legal and news links. |
| Survivor_Project Activism and educational outreach to address the needs of trans and inter survivors of domestic and ual violence. |
| Transgender_At_Work TAW provides resources for employers who want to adjust their company employment policies. Transgender at Work (TAW) focuses on voluntary cooperation between employers and employees. |
| Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance Information about the Transgender Day of Remembrance, held every November to draw attention to the problem of anti-transgender murder. |
| The_Transgender_Fund Transgender Fund raises money to support education, research, and public awareness programs. |
| Transual_Menace_-_Toronto Transual and transgender information in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area. |
| TRUE__TRansgenders_United_of_Equality San Francisco based organization that educates and advovacates to increase the rights of transgendered, transual, intered or those questioning their gender identity. |
| Why_You_Should_Be_An_Activist_Right_Now Personal story by Julianne Sarah Mayfaire telling us why, and how get involved. |
| ButchBoyDyke_com_Transgender_News News of the transgender community, issuing from Boston. |
| Eurotransgender Discusses European regulations, gender rights laws and methods of treatment for transgendered persons in Europe. |
| Gender_Advocacy_Internet_News_(GAIN)_Digest GAIN is an news mail list serving the transgender and gender-variant community. Requires a subscription, which is free. |
| Press_for_Change The campaign for respect and equality for ALL trans people. (United Kingdom activist organization with cool international transgender news updates) |
| QRD___Transgender_Issues The Queer Resource Directory's trans article area. News from many different sources. |
| TGconnect A TG "People Magazine": personals, peoples, news, upcoming events, and archives. |
| TNUKdigest_-_TransNews_UK Mail list delivering primary source news articles affecting the transgender community. Open only to members, but membership is free. |
| Transgender_Law_News Legislation and litigation news, breaking stories. Easily browsed archive of reports going back 3 years. |
| Transgender_Michigan A constantly updated site with listings of events within the transgendered community in Michigan. |
| American_Catholic__Earth_Day A Catholic look at Earth Day with resources on environmental information, stewardship of creation, and St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. |
| Chemists_Celebrate_Earth_Day The American Chemical Society provides activities that are designed to enhance public awareness of contributions made through chemistry in preserving the planet and the environment. |
| Earth_Day Small site with the history of Earth Day and a poem. |
| Earth_Day Tells what Earth Day is and when it is celebrated. |
| Earth_Day_Canada Includes list of year-round programs and links to sales sites. |
| Earth_Day_Energy_Fast Urges people to make the day more than a free concert in the park by reducing or eliminating man-made energy use. |
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all
slaves were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger's regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the slave masters to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the
Emancipation Proclamation. All or neither could be true. For whatever the reason, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger's first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of
rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the
connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."
The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate
jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former masters - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore nonexistent status for black people in America.
Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory. The celebration of June 19th was coined "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants.
The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
Juneteenth Festivities and Food
A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which
continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement. Thus often guest speakers are brought in and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations.
Certain foods became popular and subsequently synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations such as strawberry soda-pop. More traditional and just as popular was the barbecuing, through which Juneteenth participants could share in the spirit and aromas that their ancestors - the newly emancipated African Americans, would have experienced during their ceremonies. Hence, the barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations. Food was abundant because everyone prepared a special dish. Meats such as lamb, pork and beef which not available everyday were brought on this special occasion. A true Juneteenth celebrations left visitors well satisfied and with enough conversation to last until the next.
Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs and is often still taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition's roots. During slavery there were laws on the books in many areas that prohibited or limited the dressing of slaves. During the initial days of the emancipation celebrations, there are accounts of slaves tossing their ragged garments into the creeks and rivers to adorn clothing taken from the plantations belonging to their former masters.
In the early years, little interest existed outside the African American
community in participation in the celebrations. In some cases, there was outwardly exhibited resistance by barring the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that could provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding and picnics. Often the church grounds was the site for such activities. Eventually, as African Americans became land owners, land was donated and dedicated for these festivities. One of the earliest documented land purchases in the name of Juneteenth was organized by Rev. Jack Yates. This fund-raising effort yielded $1000 and the purchase of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas. In Mexia, the local Juneteenth organization purchased Booker T. Washington Park, which had become the Juneteenth celebration site in 1898. There are accounts of Juneteenth activities being interrupted and halted by white landowners demanding that their laborers return to work. However, it seems most allowed their workers the day off and some even made donations of food and money.
For decades these annual celebrations flourished, growing continuously with each passing year. In Booker T. Washington Park, as many as 20,000 African Americans once flowed through during the course of a week, making the celebration one of the state's largest.
Juneteenth Celebrations Decline
Economic and cultural forces provided for a decline in Juneteenth activities and participants beginning in the early 1900's. Classroom and textbook education in lieu of traditional home and family-taught practices stifled the interest of the youth due to less emphasis and detail on the activities of former slaves. Classroom text books proclaimed Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 as the date signaling the ending of slavery - and little or nothing on the impact of General Granger's arrival on June 19th.
The Depression forced many people of the farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, employers were less eager to grant leaves to celebrate this date. Thus, unless June 19th fell on a weekend or holiday, there were very few participants available. July 4th was the already established Independence holiday and a rise in patriotism steered more toward this celebration.
Resurgence
The Civil Rights movement of the 50's and 60's yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960's, whom wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C.. Rev. Ralph Abernathy's call for people all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor. Many of these attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas previously absent of such activity. In fact, two of the largest Juneteenth celebrations founded after this March are now held in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
Texas Blazes the Trail
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Representative Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.
Juneteenth In Modern Times
Throughout the 80's and 90's Juneteenth has continued to enjoy a growing and healthy interest from communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. In recent years, a number of National Juneteenth Organizations have arisen to take their place along side older organizations - all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom while encouraging
self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing. The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states come on board and form local committees and organizations to coordinate the activities.
Communication and networking is vital. A sharing of lessons learned throughout all organizations will help expedite this growth while minimizing waste and risks. The Juneteenth Web site can play a vital role in these efforts. Thus, it is important to communicate its existence to one and all.
Other Juneteenth Links
William Roper has a wonderful Juneteenth website. Check it out today!
National Juneteenth Committee
Juneteenth World Wide Celebration
Juneteenth Celebration June 13 - 16
Juneteenth World Wide Celebration:
If you know of other Juneteenth web sites please e-mail Wayne Hicks with the URL. We'll add it here for others to enjoy. Since Black History occurs 365 days a year...this web site will honor Juneteenth for 365 days...not just in June!!
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Updated: 5/8/2001
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