On Juneteenth

On Juneteenth, published in 2020, is the latest work of nonfiction by American legal historian and law professor Annette Gordon-Reed. In a series of essays, each contextualizing the road to Juneteenth, Gordon-Reed illuminates the various threads and peoples involved in the development of present-day Texas, particularly through the significance of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a holiday recognizing the end of the institution of slavery. The holiday has been celebrated in Texas since the issuance of General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, announcing the end of slavery two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. In later years, the celebration spread throughout Black communities of the United States, and it has only recently become a federally recognized holiday in 2021. On Juneteenth interprets Texas history with an eye toward the ways Texas history is indicative of a broader US history, and it also wrests the historical narrative and public image of Texas from white Anglo-American dominance by illuminating the inclusion, perspectives, and experiences of people of color in the region’s development. Gordon-Reed interweaves personal memoir and both dominant and non-dominant historical narrative to broaden readers’ understanding of Texas and the study of history.