What is Juneteenth and Why is it Important?
A holiday often overlooked and not recognized by many is a holiday that celebrates the liberation of African Americans from slavery.
Just like many other holidays such as Indigenous People’s Day, Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, is a pivotal day in American history that marks the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy.
This day, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, signifies more than just the end of slavery—it represents resilience, freedom, and a continual struggle for equality.
Here are 50 powerful quotes to reflect on the importance of Juneteenth and the enduring spirit of freedom and justice.
1. Frederick Douglass
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
2. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
3. Maya Angelou
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
4. Harriet Tubman
“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
5. W.E.B. Du Bois
“Either America will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States.”
6. Barack Obama
“The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own.”
7. Nelson Mandela
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
8. Malcolm X
“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.”
9. Sojourner Truth
“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
10. Langston Hughes
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
11. Toni Morrison
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
12. James Baldwin
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
13. Angela Davis
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
14. John Lewis
“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
15. Oprah Winfrey
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”
16. Michelle Obama
“History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”
17. Ralph Ellison
“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”
18. Alice Walker
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
19. Marcus Garvey
“A people without the knowledge of their history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
20. Ida B. Wells
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
21. Zora Neale Hurston
“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”
22. Booker T. Washington
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”
23. Jesse Owens
“Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it and you’ll start believing in it.”
24. Audre Lorde
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
25. Thurgood Marshall
“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
26. Colin Kaepernick
“People sometimes forget that love is at the root of our resistance.”
27. Nikki Giovanni
“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.”
28. Ta-Nehisi Coates
“Racism is not merely a simplistic hatred. It is, more often, broad sympathy toward some and broader skepticism toward others.”
29. Ella Baker
“Give light and people will find the way.”
30. Maya Angelou (another)
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
31. James Weldon Johnson
“Lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of Liberty.”
32. Fannie Lou Hamer
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
33. Lorraine Hansberry
“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”
34. Paul Robeson
“We ask for nothing that is not right, and herein lies the great power of our demand.”
35. Marian Anderson
“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.”
36. Bayard Rustin
“The proof that one truly believes is in action.”
37. Stacey Abrams
“Do not allow setbacks to set you back.”
38. Alvin Ailey
“I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.”
39. Coretta Scott King
“Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won; you earn it and win it in every generation.”
40. John Hope Franklin
“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness, and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.”
41. Ava DuVernay
“When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.”
42. Shirley Chisholm
“Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.”
43. George Washington Carver
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”
44. Billie Holiday
“If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.”
45. Clarence Thomas
“I have come here today to be with you as we celebrate our freedom.”
46. Roxane Gay
“Resistance is a marathon, not a sprint.”
47. Kamala Harris
“Dream with ambition. Lead with conviction. And see yourselves in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before.”
48. Spike Lee
“It’s not a level playing field, but what is? The difference is you play on whatever field you find yourself. You play as hard and as well as you can.”
49. Richard Wright
“Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.”
50. Angela Rye
“We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.”
Reflections on Juneteenth
These quotes are the voices of many famous and important people, these quotes encapsulate the essence of Juneteenth—a day of reflection, celebration, and continued commitment to the struggle for equality.
As we commemorate this significant day, let’s not only remember the past but also use it as a catalyst for progress. The voices of leaders, activists, artists, and visionaries echo the unyielding spirit of a people who have overcome unimaginable hardships and continue to strive for a just and equitable society.
Juneteenth is more than just a historical marker; it’s a reminder of the resilience and strength inherent in the fight for freedom.
It’s about acknowledging the past, celebrating the progress made, and committing to the work that still lies ahead. These quotes serve as a beacon of hope and a call to action, urging us to continue the journey toward true freedom and justice for all.
