Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: Difference and Comparison

Juneteenth Day and MLK Day (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) are federal holidays in the United States. These national holidays are celebrated mainly by African-American communities across the United States. They mark historical and memorable moments in black history.

Like any other national holiday, schools, businesses, and financial institutions are closed during these holidays.

Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day are marked with lots of activities. Celebratory traditions during these national holidays include singing traditional songs, parades, park parties, cookouts, volunteer service, family reunions, and historical re-enactments.

Juneteenth Day and MLK Day are celebrated in June and January to commemorate the end of slavery and the late Martin Luther King Jr.

In this article, we have discussed the difference between Juneteenth Day vs MKL Day.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a national holiday in the United States to mark the end of slavery during the end American Civil War.

Officially known as the Juneteenth National Independence Day, Juneteenth is a portmanteau of the terms “June” and “nineteenth”. The national holiday is celebrated on June 19, to commemorate the date Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the emancipation proclamation in Texas in 1865.

Juneteenth Day originated in Galveston, Texas and has since become a widely celebrated national holiday in the United States, especially in African-American communities.

Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1866. It was originally celebrated by religious communities gathering in Texas but later spread across the South. By the 1920s and 1930s, Juneteenth became a more commercialised celebration centred on food festivals.

Juneteenth Day was formally recognized in every state and the District of Columbia in the late 1970s. It’s also celebrated by the Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles who fled south to Mexico to escape being enslaved.

Juneteenth recently was signed into law by President Joe Biden as a federal holiday. It became the first new federal law since 1983 after MLK Day was formally adopted as a federal holiday.

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MLK Day (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, popularly known as MLK Day is a national holiday in the United States to honour Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American civil rights leader born on January 15 1929.

MLK Day is a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a widely celebrated national holiday observed mostly by African-American communities.

During MLK Day some municipalities often hold parades and other activities. MLK Day is observed on the third Monday of January and is combined with other holidays across several states in the U.S.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader and chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement to end racial discrimination against black people in America.

After Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, a campaign was initiated to honour the late civil rights leader with a federal holiday. In 1983, former U.S. President Ronald Regan signed the holiday into law.

However, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was not observed as a federal holiday until 1986.

Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: Key Difference between Juneteenth Day and MLK Day

Juneteenth Day and MLK Day are national holidays in the United States mainly celebrated by African-Americans. Juneteenth is a national holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.

Juneteenth Day originated in Galveston, Texas and has since become a widely celebrated national holiday in the United States, especially in African-American communities.

While Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year. Dr King was a civil rights leader who led the American Civil Rights Movement to end the discrimination against African Americans.

Dr King was born on January 15, 1929, and was assassinated in 1968. After his death, there was a campaign to honour his memory with a federal holiday.

Fifteen years later after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., former U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law. However, MLK Day will not be observed as a national holiday until January 20, 1986- three years after it was signed into law.

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Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: Comparison Chart

	Juneteenth Day	Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day)
Dates celebrated	June 19^th	Celebrated on the third Monday of January
Focus	Freedom and African-American culture	Civil rights and community service
Significance	End of slavery in the United States	Birthday and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Recognition	Federal holiday since 2021	Federal holiday since 1983
Common activities	Parades, cultural events, cookouts, family reunion, traditional songs, park parties, street fairs, and historical re-enactment	Volunteer activities, and educational programs.

Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: What Does Juneteenth Celebrate?

The history behind the Juneteenth celebration dates back to the early 1860s.

According to an article published by NationalGeographic.com, the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect and declared all enslaved people in the Confederacy free on January 1, 1863.

This proclamation turned the American Civil War into a fight for freedom and thousands of African Americans enlisted as soldiers to fight for the liberation of black people and end slavery.

Texas was the last stronghold of the Confederacy and even after the American Civil, black people were still enslaved in the South. Even after two years of signing the Emancipation Proclamation into law, thousands of black people were unaware that they were free.

About 250,000 enslaved people only learned they were free after General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865. On June 18, 1865, Granger announced that the president issued a Proclamation to free all black people in the South.

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Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: How did MLK Day come to be a Holiday?

The assassination of Dr King led to a campaign to honour his memory with a federal holiday. Former President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983.

MLK Day was first observed as a holiday on January 20, 1983. Since then, it has been celebrated on the third Monday of January each year.

Juneteenth Day vs MLK Day: How is Juneteenth Celebrated?

Juneteenth is a special national holiday for African-Americans in the United States to commemorate the end of slavery in 1865.

Early Juneteenth celebrations involved church services, social events, and the public reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

African-American communities in the South were forced to celebrate Juneteenth on the outskirts of town. This discrimination lasted for decades because of Jim Crow laws and racism.

To avoid being attacked by racist groups, Juneteenth groups purchased lands on which they celebrated the end of slavery in America. Places like this were often named Emancipation Parks and some of them still exist to this day.

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Conclusion

Juneteenth Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day are special holidays that hold significant meaning in black history. While Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday of every January.

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References

Wikipedia: Juneteenth
Wikipedia: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Britannica: How did the American civil rights movement affect Juneteenth celebrations?