Celebrating Freedom
My great great grandmother, Maria Simms Wallace, born enslaved would have been around 20 years old on June 19, 1865 when General Granger and Union Troops rode into Galveston, Texas to officially declare the state of Texas under Union rule and consequently all enslaved Black people would be immediately free (it took two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln for Union Troops to occupy Texas, a confederate state, to officialy free an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas ).
It would be six more months before the 13th Amendment would be added to the Constitution, making slavery illegal throughout the United States, except in prisons.
I can’t even begin to imagine what that moment may have been like for Maria to come to the understanding that once enslaved, she, her husband and two children were now free.
I don’t know much about Maria Simms Wallace. My sister, a historian, spent hours researching our family lineage. She was able to find Maria Simms Wallace in the 1870 U.S. Census as a 25-year-old woman with two children. Maria worked as a “Farm Laborer” along with her husband William Wallace (my great great grandfather) who was also a “Farm Laborer”. They lived in Florida at that time and later moved to Dublin, Georgia.
While the census had been conducted for 80 years, the 1870 census was the first time that the U.S. Census listed all Black people by name. Prior to that enslaved Black people were counted in the census primarily as property of a slaveholding household but not listed by name - rendering millions of Black people nameless in history.
With freedom and citizenship (14th Amendment granted citizenship in 1868) came some basic dignities such as listing each Black person by name in the census and then the right to vote…at least for Black males.
I wonder whether my family celebrated or were they cynical of failed government promises and cautiously approached this idea of freedom and citizenship.
( Photograph of Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900 held in "East Woods" on East 24th Street in Austin by Grace Murray , Courtesy of Austin History Center, Austin Public Library )
I do wish my great great grandmother would have had the opportunity to participate in the political process and voting. While she gained her freedom and citizenship from the 13th and 14th Amendments, as a woman, she would not be eligible to vote until the 19th Amendment in 1920 (just 12 years before her death).
As far as education, Maria probably never finished the 8th grade - as my own grandmother did not. And it is likely that she taught herself how to read and write while being forced to labor, and being subjected to other unspeakable abuses, and prohibited by law from learning to read during her childhood years enslaved on a plantation.
While freedom afforded Black Americans a dignity they had not yet experienced in America there remained many challenges to overcome. From the records we found, it seems as though Maria was a "domestic" or "farm worker" for all of her adult life. As a "Wallace", I am sure she also spent time cooking, enjoying good food, spending time with family and perhaps even being a part of a faith community which has been a part of my families legacy.
Maria died at the age of 74 in Dublin, Georgia. She was a widow and her death certificate indicates she died of Pellagra. Curious about this disease, my limited google research indicates this disease was caused by a severe vitamin B3 deficiency that was common among poor people in the South in the early 1900's. This disease "caused more deaths than any other nutrition-related disease in American history, reaching epidemic proportions in the American South during the early 1900s".
She was buried in Cross Creek Cemetery, a historically segregated cemetery where many former enslaved people were buried. Efforts have been made to preserve this cemetery and research done to identify the names of all the unmarked graves which is how we discovered where Maria was buried.
While I proudly celebrate Juneteenth, I cannot help but think of my great great grandparents struggles, trauma, abuse and perhaps also the ways they sought joy in the midst of turmoil and change. As the great great granddaughter of a woman who would have felt a mix of emotions this day, I write today to honor her life - once nameless, Maria Simms Wallace legacy lives on in me, my father, my sister and brother and a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles who today are grateful for those who came before us.
Ways to celebrate Juneteenth
1. Many cities now host Juneteenth celebrations - grab your family and friends to join one of these celebrations and connect with your community. 2. Take a virtual visit The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture to learn more about Juneteenth' s history, celebrations, foods and resilience - start the virtual tour here. 3. Listen to the "Sounds Good" podcast feature of Professor Annette Gordon-Reed, an American historian and Harvard professor, where she shared why she wrote the book "On Juneteenth". 4. Learn about Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas where the community of formerly enslaved men and woman began celebrating Juneteenth in 1872. It is a fascinating and rich history of a community determined to celebrate and commemorate their freedom. 5. Watch a movie or series that showcases Black joy and culture in a positive light. Recommendation: High on the Hog: How American Cuisine Transformed America. A Netflix docuseries where Chef and writer Stephen Satterfiled traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas. 6. Volunteer for a local organization that supports Black communities. Use this day to give back. We invite you to learn more about becoming a volunteer mentor for the U.S. Dream Academy.
Juneteenth is the perfect opportunity to make a meaningful difference and help a child reach their full potential.
