June 19, 2025
Honoring Juneteenth: A Time to Reflect, Learn and Act
Gordon Fischer Law Firm would like to wish everyone a happy and reflective Juneteenth, or Freedom Day.
Understanding Juneteenth
June 19 marks the oldest nationally celebrated remembrance of the end of slavery in the United States. It’s the country’s second independence day. While it became a nationally recognized holiday in 2021, it was celebrated long before that.
The holiday marks the day in 1865 when roughly 2,000 Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and under General Order No. 3, informed the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state of their freedom—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln.
Emancipation Celebration – Texas, 1990. Courtesy: Austin History Center
General Order No. 3 states:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
Here are a few ways Iowa nonprofits can engage meaningfully with Juneteenth:
- Educate and Reflect: Encourage your team to learn about the history and meaning of Juneteenth. While reading a book or article is important, it’s not action. Consider hosting a reading group, guest speaker, or community conversation.
- Support Black-led Organizations: Partner with or donate to local groups led by and for Black Iowans doing work that aligns with your mission.
- Review Internal Practices: Use this moment to assess equity in your own hiring, board leadership, and service delivery models.
Juneteenth is not just a day off or a commemorative event, it’s an invitation to reflect and take aligned action. As a firm rooted in service and impact, GFLF stands with our clients in advancing justice through their work, every day of the year.
Happy Juneteenth.
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gordon@gordonfischerlawfirm.com
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