41 Powerful Juneteenth Quotes To Celebrate the Holiday
On June 19, or Juneteenth as it's more colloquially known, we celebrate the final emancipation of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 when word reached the state that the Civil War was officially over. These days, it's a wider celebration (and a reminder) of the struggle and perseverance of Black Americans everywhere, and continued efforts toward a more equal America.
Officially declared a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth is often celebrated with marches and powerful speeches. Ahead, we're highlighting 41 powerful and impactful quotes about Juneteenth from celebrities, politicians, and activists to help you observe and reflect on the day.
Impactful Juneteenth Quotes
"Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible—and there is still so much work to do." —Barack Obama
"You must never, ever give out. We must keep the faith because we are one people. We are brothers and sisters. We all live in the same house: The American house." —John Lewis
"Hold those things that tell your history and protect them. During slavery, who was able to read or write or keep anything? The ability to have somebody to tell your story to is so important. It says: 'I was here. I may be sold tomorrow. But you know I was here.'" —Maya Angelou
"Juneteenth may mark just one moment in the struggle for emancipation, but the holiday gives us an occasion to reflect on the profound contributions of enslaved Black Americans to the cause of human freedom." —Jamelle Bouie
"Every Black person you meet is a miracle…We are valuable because of our humanity and declared valuable because our ancestors declared our worth when they fought for us to live." —Brittany Packnett
"We Black folk, our history, and our present being are a mirror of all the manifold experiences of America…If we Black folk perish, America will perish." —Richard Wright
"If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." — James Baldwin
"Won't it be wonderful when Black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history." —Maya Angelou
"Today on Juneteenth, the day we celebrate the end of slavery, the day we memorialize those who offered us hope for the future and the day when we renew our commitment to the struggle for freedom." —Angela Davis
"Slavery is theft—theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave might have borne." —Kevin Bales
"Juneteenth is another moment for me and my loved ones to build an archive of truth and experience of (ourselves) Black folks." —Tatiana Glover
"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: One is pushing down, the other is pulling up." —Booker T. Washington
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." —Barack Obama
Powerful Juneteenth Quotes
"June 19th reminds me that I am the force of power to change this world and to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors to work towards liberation." —Mariah Cooley
"Understanding history is one of many ways to break the cycle. Lift up/amplify Black voices. Support Black-owned businesses. Reach back. Mentor." —Chadwick Boseman
"What historical narrative are we willing to weave in order to remind people not only that we were here enduring the trials but that we stared the fang-toothed wolves of injustice in the face and said, 'No more.'" —Travon Free
"Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part." — John Lewis
"Juneteenth is important to me because till this day black people are still subject to racial injustice on a global scale, and are still victims of racial abuse regardless of where they are from. Juneteenth allows us to remember how far black people have progressed since and it is a reminder of the strength we have within us." —Bethel Kyeza
"There's no other race, to me, that has such a tough history for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only the strong survive, so we were the strongest and the most mentally tough, and I 'm really proud to wear this color every single day of my life." —Serena Williams
"If there is just about anything to rejoice it can be my ancestors, African People who survived the atrocity and stain of slavery…I honor them these days with a guarantee that I will keep on to combat for your unexplored desires and hopes." —Viola Davis
"We are not ready to fight because we love fighting. We are ready to fight because we are worth fighting for." —Zoé Samudzi
"We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us." —Reverend Al Sharpton
"You need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much—for we can't take more than our pint'll hold." —Sojourner Truth
"We have suffered discrimination. We have suffered isolation and undermining. But we stand up for America, oftentimes when others who think they are more patriotic, who say they are more patriotic, do not." —Maxine Waters
"If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho' we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Juneteenth Freedom Quotes
"It's an opportunity to both look back but to look ahead to make sure that that notion of freedom and the fragility of it is always protected and celebrated." —Lonnie Bunch
"The 4th of July was never about Black people. Juneteenth is just for us. As Black people, we are told we don't deserve our own holidays rooted in our own history. Everything is whitewashed. Juneteenth is for us…Juneteenth symbolizes the hope that my children and grandchildren will be free. It's Black Joy and Black tenacity to survive." —Tanesha Grant
"Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress." —Michelle Obama
"Early on, the spelling of the holiday was not yet fixed, often appearing as 'June 'teenth,' 'June-teenth,' or 'June teenth.' The Dictionary of American Regional English records another variant Texan form, 'June the tenth.' The legend is that the 'teenth' is because the news is delivered on different days to different groups." —Leslie Wilson
"We have simply got to make people aware that none of us are free until we're all free, and we aren't free yet." —Opal Lee
"Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names: Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day, Emancipation Day and, today, a national holiday." — Kamala Harris
"The day we were free—everyone was free. Why not make it a paid holiday? We deserve that…We want a day that is inclusive to everyone." —Pharrell Williams
"Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. They claim it as their own and none can keep it from them." —Kwame Nkruma
"You can't separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom." —Malcolm X
"The proclamation notes that freedom shall not be repressed. This is what I believe to be the primary significance of Juneteenth." —Theodorea Regina Berry
"I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free…so other people would be also free." —Rosa Parks
"Every June 19th is an opportunity for us to continue the momentum of memory, and the parade and the self-determination movements." —Dr. Greg Carr
"Whether it's freedom to express, freedom to live, freedom to earn, freedom to thrive, freedom to learn, whatever it is, I want to make sure that I 'm a part of these spaces and opening doors." —Angela Rye
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