TED Talks Daily - What is Juneteenth, and why is it important? | Karlos Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio

Episode Date: June 19, 2025

At the end of the Civil War, though slavery was technically illegal in all states, it still persisted in the last bastions of the Confederacy. This was the case when Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas on June 19th and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free. Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio dig into the history of Juneteenth. [Directed by Rémi Cans, Atypicalist, narrated by Christina Greer, music by Jarrett Farkas]. This episode originally aired June 19, 2023.Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey!Become a TED Member today at ted.com/joinLearn more about TED Next at ted.com/futureyou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas and conversations to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hugh. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free. It's a part of U.S. history that is still not as well known as it should be, but as of 2021, June 19th marks the newest federal holiday in the U.S., Juneteenth National Independence

Day. Today, we're bringing you a TED Ed lesson about this historic day. Educators Carlos Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio give us a quick history and context of what today means and why it matters so much. This episode is sponsored by PWC. AI, climate change, and geopolitical shifts are reconfiguring the global economy. That's why industry leaders turn to PWC to help turn disruption into opportunity.

PWC unites expertise and tech, so you can outthink, outpace, and outperform. So you can stay ahead. So you can protect what you build. So you can create new value. Visit pwc.com to learn more. That's pwc.com. Pwc refers to the PwC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. This episode is brought to you by TurboTax Canada. Business tax season can feel like learning a whole new language. That's why I was excited to hear about TurboTax Business, a new way for Canadian small business

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Support for this episode comes from Airbnb. Every time I travel to Vancouver for the TED conference, I think of extending the trip by one more day to explore. Maybe visit Granville Island to check out their public market, to browse the colorful food and produce, or try out one of their world famous donuts or some fresh food. Maybe with my extra time I could check out the Grau's Grind hike on the Grau's mountain nearby, which I've been told is Mother Nature's Stairmaster. This time around I might just do it. While I'm away I've been thinking of hosting on Airbnb so my home doesn't just sit empty. It would put my home to good use, and the extra income would be

great to cover some of the costs of my trip. One more night in this incredible city, one more inspiring TED Talk. It just feels like the smart thing to do. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airmbnb.ca. One day while hiding in the kitchen, Charlotte Brooks overheard a life-changing secret. At the age of 17, she'd been separated from her family and taken to William Neeland's Texas plantation. There, she was made to do housework at the violent whims of her enslavers. On that fateful day, she learned that slavery had recently been abolished,

but Neelan conspired to keep this a secret from those he enslaved. Hearing this, Brooks stepped out of her hiding spot, proclaimed her freedom, spread the news throughout the plantation, and ran. That night, she returned for her daughter, Tempe. And before Neelan's spiteful bullets could find them, they were gone for good. For more than two centuries, slavery defined what would become the United States.

From its past as the 13 British colonies to its growth as an independent country. Slavery fueled its cotton industry and made it a leading economic power. 10 of the first 12 presidents enslaved people. And when US chattel slavery finally ended, it was a long and uneven process. Enslaved people resisted from the beginning by escaping, breaking tools, staging rebellions, and more.

During the American Revolution, Vermont and Massachusetts abolished slavery, while several states took steps towards gradual abolition. In 1808, federal law banned the import of enslaved African people, but it allowed the slave trade to continue domestically. Approximately 4 million people were enslaved in the U.S. when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Lincoln opposed slavery, and though he had no plans to outlaw it, his election caused panic in southern states, which began withdrawing from the Union. They vowed to uphold slavery and formed the Confederacy, triggering the start of the American Civil War.

A year into the continent, Lincoln abolished slavery in Washington, D.C., legally freeing more than 3,000 people. And five months later, he announced the Emancipation Proclamation. It promised freedom to the 3.5 million people enslaved in Confederate states. But it would only be fulfilled if the rebelling states promised freedom to the 3.5 million people enslaved in Confederate states.

But it would only be fulfilled if the rebelling states didn't rejoin the Union by January 1st, 1863. And it bore no mention of the roughly 500,000 people in bondage in the border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri that hadn't seceded. When the Confederacy refused to surrender, Union soldiers began announcing emancipation. But many southern areas remained under Confederate control, making it impossible to actually implement abolition throughout the South. The war raged on for two more years, and on January 31, 1865, Congress passed the 13th Amendment. It promised to end slavery throughout the U.S., except as punishment for a crime.

But to go into effect, 27 states would have to ratify it first. Meanwhile, the Civil War virtually ended with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865. But although slavery was technically illegal in all southern states, it still persisted in the last bastions of the Confederacy. There, enslavers like Meeling continued to evade abolition until forced. This was also the case when Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas on June 19th and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free, and had been for more than two years.

Still, at this point, people remained legally enslaved in the border states. It wasn't until more than five months later, on December 6th, 1865, that the 13th Amendment was finally ratified. This formally ended chattel slavery in the U.S. Because official emancipation was a staggered process, people in different places commemorated it on different dates. Those in Galveston, Texas began celebrating Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19th,

on the very first anniversary of General Granger's announcement. Over time, smaller Juneteenth gatherings gave way to large parades, and the tradition eventually became the most widespread of emancipation celebrations. But while chattel slavery had officially ended, racial inequality, oppression, and terror had not. Celebrating Emancipation was itself an act of continued resistance.

And it wasn't until 2021 that Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Today, Juneteenth holds profound significance as a celebration of the demise of slavery, the righteous pursuit of true freedom for all, and a continued pledge to remember the past and dream the future. That was educators Carlos Hill and Soraya Field-Fiorio for TED Ed, TED's youth and education initiative. To watch the animated video of this lesson, visit ed.ted.com.

If you're curious about Ted's curation, find out more at ted.com slash curation guidelines. And that's it for today's show. Ted Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar, and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Fazy-Bogan, additional support from Emma Tobner

and Daniela Balarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. This episode is sponsored by Sell-Off Vacations. You know how sometimes a single experience, one moment, one place, can shift your perspective entirely? Travel does that. It moves us not just physically but emotionally, even spiritually. We deserve those moments. That's where Sell-Off Vacations comes in. For over 30 years they've been helping Canadians travel happy, whether it's a sun-soaked getaway, a cruise through the Mediterranean, or a local escape right here at home. Their community of travel experts have actually been to the places you're dreaming about, and they're ready to help you plan your perfect trip, no matter your budget.

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into opportunity. PWC unites expertise and tech so you can outthink, outpace, and outperform. So you can stay ahead. So you can protect what you build. So you can create new value. Visit pwc.com to learn more. That's pwc.com. PWC refers to the PWC network and or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Looking for a better place to call home? Discover Watercolor Westport by Landark Homes. Nestled in Eastern Ontario cottage country, live connected to nature, neighbors, and the necessities with high speed connectivity. This walkable, vibrant waterfront village offers shops, dining, scenic trails, a winery, and the harborfront.

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