Juneteenth Is Not Just a Holiday—It’s a Mirror

June 19, 1865. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Black people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free. Juneteenth marks that day—not the day slavery ended, but the day the truth finally caught up.

More than 150 years later, Juneteenth is now a national holiday. There are barbecues, block parties, art festivals, and family gatherings. But as we celebrate, we must also ask: What does freedom mean when so many are still fighting for their lives, their dignity, and their futures?

The Delay of Freedom

Juneteenth is a story of delayed justice. And that delay didn’t end in 1865.

Black mothers today are still waiting…
Waiting to be heard by their doctors.
Waiting to be taken seriously when they say something’s wrong.
Waiting for a healthcare system that values their lives.

The echoes of Juneteenth are in every untreated diagnosis, every brushed-off concern, every preventable death.

Liberation Isn’t Just Legal; It’s Lived

Freedom isn’t just about laws. It’s about living without fear—
Fear of dying during childbirth.
Fear of being over-policed or under-protected.
Fear that your children won’t make it home.

If Juneteenth is about liberation, then liberation must extend to every part of our lives: housing, healthcare, education, and justice. Otherwise, it’s performative.

Juneteenth in 2025: What Now?

This year, Juneteenth falls during a time of unrest and reckoning. Attacks on reproductive rights. Escalating racial health disparities. The mental toll of navigating a world that still questions our humanity.

So maybe this Juneteenth, instead of just wearing red and waving flags, we ask:

• Who still isn’t free?

• Whose stories are we centering?

• What systems still need to be dismantled?

The Work Continues

At the Edith Institute, we see Juneteenth as a call to action. Our work advocating for Black maternal health is a continuation of the freedom fight. Because no one is free until Black women, mothers, and birthing people are free to thrive.

So yes, celebrate. Rest. Laugh. Eat. Dance.

But also: reflect. Organize. Donate. Vote. Speak up.

Because liberation delayed is liberation denied.