Why I’m a Fan of Juneteenth

Most of what I write about here is focused on campaigns and public affairs: how to build strategy, plan effectively, execute tactically, adjust under pressure, and ultimately win.

This post is a little different.

Juneteenth has quickly become one of my favorite American holidays because, at its core, it is a holiday about freedom. And I am a big fan of freedom.

That is also why Independence Day has always been my favorite holiday. Independence Day celebrates one of the most important moments in world history: the declaration that a new nation would be founded on liberty, self-government, and the rights of the people.

But declarations are not enough.

The practical application of freedom matters too.

That is what makes Juneteenth so powerful. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, and it stands as one of the most important acts of moral and constitutional leadership in American history. Frankly, I would have no objection to January 1 being remembered not only as New Year’s Day, but also as Emancipation Proclamation Day.

But in Texas, more than 250,000 people remained enslaved long after the proclamation was issued. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston and made clear that freedom was not just a promise written on paper. It was going to be enforced.

That matters.

Because freedom is not only something we declare. It is something we have to make real.

And that is worth celebrating.

While I’m making the case for freedom holidays, I’ll add one more: October 19.

Not because it is my birthday, although I am willing to acknowledge that as a highly persuasive secondary argument.

October 19 is also the anniversary of the British surrender at Yorktown. That victory helped make sure the Declaration of Independence was not just a noble piece of paper, but the founding principle of a new nation trying — imperfectly, often painfully, but persistently — to move forward in liberty.

July 4 and October 19 were early steps in America’s long argument over freedom. January 1 and June 19 carried that argument forward, forcing the country closer to the meaning of its own founding promise.

America’s march toward freedom has been long, uneven, and in some ways remains unfinished. But I still believe — and certainly hope — that it is ultimately inevitable. Every real step along the way is worth celebrating.

So today, I’m glad we celebrate Juneteenth.

It is a reminder that America’s best promises matter most when they move from words to reality.