Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois State House District 49 candidate Hannah Billingsley explained the origins of the Juneteenth holiday in a June 19 Facebook post. "Days like today are healthy for us. We celebrate our progress while also acknowledging our ongoing challenges," she said.

"Today we celebrate Juneteenth - a needed reminder of freedom in our nation's history," said Billingsley, according to Facebook. "The last enslaved African Americans were informed of their freedom—two and a half years AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation on this date in 1865. Days like today are healthy for us. We celebrate our progress while also acknowledging our ongoing challenges."

Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people of their freedom, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. According to History.com, on this day in 1865, General Gordon Granger read General Orders No. 3, stating: "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free." This occurred two months after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

Screenshot of Vote Hannah for IllinoisJune 19 Facebook post | Vote Hannah for Illinois Facebook page

Juneteenth became a national holiday on June 19, 2021, following a proclamation from President Joseph R. Biden. "As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor today," Biden said in the proclamation. "In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans. And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday."

Billingsley's statement continued in her Facebook post: "As free people, we should be compelled to free other people. Free people free people. Let’s blacklist neutrality. Let’s stand firmly against injustice wherever it exists. Let’s continue to dream of a world where justice and freedom reign and then work tirelessly to make those dreams a reality for all," she said.

Billingsley is a West Chicago business owner with experience in teaching. She owns a niche clothing company and nine short-term rental units with an 82% occupancy rate, according to her campaign website biography. Her political experience includes serving as an elected zoning commissioner and working on the Jesse Sullivan campaign as Voter Engagement Coordinator in District 49 in 2021.