Mississippi doesn’t recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday but celebrations persist

The Jackson area was awash in Juneteenth events this week. A community performance celebration and fireworks display was held Wednesday at the Jackson Convention Complex.

15-year old Serenity Moore is the 2025 Miss Juneteenth Mississippi.

“When you hear about the Emancipation Proclamation, you hear that all slaves were freed,” she said. “But Juneteenth has a different story to it.”

The holiday commemorates when Union troops, led by Maj. General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and informed some of the country’s last remaining enslaved people of their freedom. 

Kiana Lewis of Jackson was also at the Jackson Convention.

“I always told myself I couldn’t be back then because, just waking up free, I wouldn't mentally know how to deal with it,” she said.

Lewis says she wanted to celebrate Juneteenth because it gives her a chance to recognize the reality the history behind the holiday occurred in.

“Don't take any of that for granted at all,” she said. “Live your life to the fullest, live your life the best, know your history. Even if you got to learn about it in middle school, high school, even if you have to learn it as an adult, learn your history, get more in tune with why God chose you to be into this culture.” 

On Juneteenth, the home of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers was open early in commemoration of both Juneteenth and the recent anniversary of the leader's assassination.

Joseph Camphor, who is originally from Jackson but now lives out of state, says he always makes a stop at historic sites to honor the legacy of his hometown and influential figures like Evers.

“He made a big sacrifice by what he did with the NAACP,” Camphor said. “He lost his life for something that he believed in. I think this ties back to June 19th. It's ironic where two years later you found out they was free in Galveston, Texas. He was fighting for freedom, a right to vote and stuff like that. So it all ties in together.”

Later that day at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, several rows of line dancers snapped their fans in the air and children got their faces painted. The museums were open free of charge for the annual Juneteenth celebrations. 

Canton resident Ni’a Jones says she grew up celebrating the holiday with her family. 

“We celebrate 4th of July as if it is our true heritage,” she said. “To know what the truth is and to really understand a symbolic nature of what Juneteenth is, there is nothing like the truth.”

Yet, Michael Morris, the director of the Two Mississippi Museums, says Juneteenth also helped to solidify formerly enslaved people as Americans for the first time. 

“Not only were you not a person before the end of the Civil War, according to the Supreme Court, you are not an American,” he said. “You are considered property and at the most, you are considered two thirds of a human. You are considered two thirds of what it meant to be an American, but never a full American.”

Earlier this year, the Trump administration admonished the Smithsonian Institute for exhibits that it claims shows America in a bad light. This past legislative session, Mississippi was unable to move any bills that would make Juneteenth a state holiday.

Still, George Jones of Jackson says celebrations like Juneteenth should and will continue.

“They're taking names off of tombstones, they're taking names off of ships, they are taking names off everything that some African American has contributed to in this society,” he said. “But that won't change a thing. Because you can't undo what's already been done.”

Several other Juneteenth celebrations were held in cities across Mississippi, including Hattiesburg, Starkville and Gulfport.