As America marches toward its 250th birthday, something feels off. Independence Day is intrinsically linked to the boldest declaration and execution of freedom in modern world history.
At the same time, it intersects with one of America’s most egregious miscarriages of justice on top of its worst moral failure — the fact that enslaved peoples of Galveston, Texas, were notified by the Union Army on June 19, 1865, that they were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Imagine a contemporary employee owed over two years of back pay after working on the assembly line for 700-odd days but with no recourse to seek compensation. Texans recognized and celebrated “Juneteenth” for years before Texas activist Opal Lee lobbied for it to become a federal holiday. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act Bill June 17, 2021.
Back to Independence Day 2026, where the current sitting president hosted a mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House as part of America 250. All over this great land speechwriters are polishing up their most patriotic scripts and remarks. Plans for parades and fireworks are underway in celebration of the world’s oldest continuous experiment in self-government. In 1776, the founders signed the Declaration of Independence officially announcing our grievances against the King George to justify an exit from British rule.
Yet today many Americans — progressive and conservative — are feeling less free than they once did.
Some fear government overreach and retaliation. Others are alarmed at the administration’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — a red herring — continues. Some worry about political extremism. Others worry about economic forces that leave them feeling uncertain about their future.
Beneath it all is a shared uneasiness that something precious is slipping away.
This feeling is worth remembering as we celebrate Juneteenth 2026, which became a national holiday just five short years ago, largely behind the persistency of Lee, known as “the grandmother of Juneteenth.”
None of us can compare our current circumstance to those who were enslaved, but Juneteenth reminds us what it feels like when freedom exists in theory, not in practice. The Declaration of Independence didn’t mean squat to enslaved peoples in 1776 America. They were the free-labor engine of the New World’s tobacco and cotton agri-economy and the human crown jewels on which the financial markets and institutions in the North eventually collateralized.
And decades later, when the Civil War was effectively over and slavery was abolished, thousands of men and women and children remained in bondage because the news and the power to enforce it had not arrived. That’s hard to imagine when today’s technology can mean one social errant media post can crash financial markets.
Imagine the dissonance. A nation proclaiming liberty from tyrannical rule while millions remained enslaved.
A Constitution celebrating freedom while human beings were still being bought, sold and commoditized. A nation declaring that all men are created equal while denying that promise to entire generations of human beings.
For those of us living in 2026, that contradiction can be difficult to comprehend. Yet it is woven into our national story.
That is why Juneteenth matters.
It is not a celebration of ending slavery. It is a celebration of freedom finally reaching people who had no idea they were free. No one understood this better than Ms. Lee.
At an age when most people were slowing down, Lee walked hundreds of miles to bring national attention to Juneteenth. She encouraged us to celebrate the progress while acknowledging the work left to do.
Michigan understands that story.
Long before we built automobiles or won championships, Michigan was a gateway to freedom. Former enslaved peoples traveled through communities such as Detroit, Marshall, Adrian and Battle Creek on their way toward Canada and freedom.
Freedom has always required people willing to help carry others across the finish line. That lesson remains relevant as we prepare celebrate the fifth anniversary of Juneteenth and the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.
Both are derivatives of the same emotion.
The greatness of our country is not that we have not always lived up to our ideals. Lord knows we have not.
Our greatness is that generation after generation has pushed us closer to them, from Michiganders George DeBaptise to Laura Haviland to Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks.
Juneteenth reminds us that freedom delayed is still worth celebrating — even when it is late arriving.Today, we need to spend more time expanding the circle of freedom, not constricting it. Instead of focusing solely on what divides us, in 2026 let us all remember every generation of Americans has inherited unfinished business.
Those enslaved in Galveston understood something that we can easily forget. Progress is a journey.
And 250 years into the American experiment, the journey continues. We all need to get in line and do our part.
Byron McCauley is a regional columnist for USA Today Co. Email: bmccauley@usatodayco.com. Call: (513) 504-8915.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Juneteeth and Independence Day share same American values | Opinion
Reporting by Byron McCauley, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Byron McCauley, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
