June marks the beginning of summer, Juneteenth celebrations and Father’s Day observances.
There are two myths associated with June observances that I want to debunk.
The first is Juneteenth. Many Black communities pause to celebrate and honor Juneteenth with programs, rituals, dancing, poetry, parades and community gatherings. While Juneteenth should indeed be observed, it is important that we observe it in truth rather than through the myths that often accompany it.
Many of us were taught that the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, freed all enslaved people in the United States and that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were the last to be freed two years later, in June 1865. Both are myths.
In February 1861, seven Southern states — South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas — seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. They created their own constitution, elected Jefferson Davis as president and established their capital in Montgomery, Alabama. Just two months later, the Civil War erupted in April 1861.
In truth, the Civil War was largely about slavery — economically, politically and socially. The Southern economy thrived on the labor of enslaved people, and the Confederacy fought to preserve that system. Slavery was their “currency,” and they had more of it than the North. They were not about to give it up without a fight.
When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it applied only to Confederate states — where he had no control — and excluded the border states that remained loyal to the Union. In short, it did not immediately free all enslaved people in the United States.
The Civil War effectively ended with the Confederate surrender on April 9, 1865. In the months that followed, Union forces moved across the South enforcing emancipation and informing enslaved people of their freedom. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, where they announced that enslaved people there were free.
The second myth centers around Black fathers.
Black men are often portrayed as absent fathers — disconnected from their families. Sadly, some of us also reinforce this myth through our conversations and actions.
The truth is that despite slavery, segregation, economic exclusion and racial terror, Black families demonstrated extraordinary resilience. Before the mid-20th century, most Black children were raised in homes with both parents present. In fact, from 1880 to 1960, the majority of Black children lived in two-parent households. This is documented truth.
The question is not whether Black families — and Black fathers in particular — valued stability, marriage and community. History clearly shows that they did. The deeper question is: What social, political and economic forces disrupted those patterns?
We know that Black men have been — and continue to be — incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates than their white counterparts. This further disrupts their physical presence in homes and communities.
Slavery could not destroy the Black family. Jim Crow could not destroy the Black family. Yet modern systems — mass incarceration, economic exclusion and punitive social policies — have profoundly disrupted the physical presence of Black men in their homes and communities.
As we observe Father’s Day 2026, I encourage Black communities everywhere to join together to support and uplift Black men who are struggling and fighting against these systems.
Happy Juneteenth and Happy Father’s Day!
Maxine Bryant, Ph.D., is founder of GriotSpeaks, an author and African American cultural historian.