The Brief: TikTokers are spreading awareness about Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating when the last slaves were freed in America on June 19, 1865 under the hashtag #Juneteenth.
DEEP DIVE
The hashtag #Juneteenth is currently being used by creators of color to spread awareness about the day of Independence that is yet to be a federally recognized holiday. While slavery ended with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, the last slaves in America (Galveston, TX) were not set free until June 19, 1865. From then on, the day was known as Juneteenth, Black Independence Day, Freedom Day, and Jubilee Day in many Black households. However, this part of American history isn’t known by many outside of the Black community. Now, creators are taking it upon themselves to bring awareness to the holiday.
At the time of publication, the hashtag has accrued over 11 million views . The official TikTok page invited others to learn about the holiday, saying: “This year marks the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, a day which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Learn about the importance of #Juneteenth with the TikTok community.”
TikTok activists, celebrities, and news outlets have all created their own unique videos to urge others to recognize and celebrate the holiday.
Lizzo:
@lizzo What we doin for Juneteenth?
Washington Post:
@washingtonpost What’s #Juneteenth? Texas native Karen Attiah explains.
@alluringskull
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the hashtag was also used to spread awareness about police brutality as well as injustices Black people face on a daily basis. Many TikTokers also called out the app for reportedly suppressing their videos.
@mamanova21 THE REVOLUTION IS HERE #fyp #blackout #blacklivesmatter #georgefloyd #imblackmovement #imblackandimproud #juneteenth #juneteenthblackout #blacktiktok
@rhyvals WE NEED HELP!! they removed our reviews #TikTokExposed #blm #blacklivesmatter #Juneteenth #19th #blackout #imblack #imblackmovement #pocunity #rhyval
As of June 2020, many corporations and businesses have decided to recognize Juneteenth as an official corporate holiday.