On January 1, 1863, the day of freedom finally arrived.
Instead it made its way slowly across the American South.
Finally, it made its way into the hinterlands of Texas.
Rog Walker of Paper Monday
So read General Gordon Granger from the balcony of the Ashton Villa in Galveston on June 19, 1865.
The day of Jubilee had arrived.
A signature on a piece of paper had transmuted the lead of despair to the gold of hope.
Freedom had finally come!
The commemorations of the momentous day, the ancestors of today’s Juneteenth festivities, grew and flourished.
The survivors of America’s original sin sat proudly at head tables as guests of honor.
Today’s festivities are more likely to include beauty competitions and baseball games than the sermonizing of the past.
Throughout it all, the backbone of the festivities has always been the table.
Picnics, barbecues and fish fries have traditionally been hallmarks of the festivities.
The Texas holiday has gradually seeped into the national mind.
Instead, I came late to them, as did many of my fellow Northerners.
There, despite a hazardous air alert and over-90-degree temperatures, folks came out to spend the day.
Coolers were unpacked, lawn chairs pulled into convivial circles, and portable grills fired up.
She is the 2020 recipient of the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.
All recipe food styling and photographs by Joy Howard.Portrait of Jessica B. Harris by Rog Walker of Paper Monday.
