Public Memory, Cultural Legacy, and Press Coverage of the Juneteenth Revival

Abstract

Following the Civil War, African Americans in Texas celebrated their emancipation with an annual holiday known as “Juneteenth.” The celebration migrated to other areas of the country, and over the past several years there has been a concerted effort to establish it as a national holiday. Using the recent revival and diffusion of Juneteenth as its focal point, this article examines local press coverage of the celebration in four states. The coverage illustrates how journalists invoke history to explain current events and also highlights the changing, fluid nature of public memory. In contrast to the view of history as a fixed, stable account of past events, the evidence reveals that the historical record is continually changing based upon contemporary concerns, political motivations, and, in this particular case, the ongoing integration of African Americans into American society.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Janice Hume

JANICE HUME is an associate professor in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Noah Arceneaux

NOAH ARCENEAUX is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. She is the author of Obituaries in American Culture and co-author of Journalism in a Culture of Grief, and he is working on a book about the intersection of department stores and broadcast history.