Until the 19th century, certain states enforced slave codes that regulated the attire of enslaved individuals. However, with the establishment of Juneteenth, newly emancipated Black Americans used fashion as a means of expressing their freedom and identity. Juneteenth, which originated in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, marked the liberation of over 250,000 enslaved Black people. Celebrated through parades, concerts, and cookouts, Juneteenth has also become synonymous with the celebration of fashion, enabling descendants of enslaved Black Americans to reconnect with their collective past and showcase their social and political liberation.
During the era of slave codes from the 16th to the 19th centuries, clothing choices were controlled and dictated by slave owners. While some states legally mandated slave owners to provide clothing for their enslaved workers, the garments provided were often uncomfortable and prioritized durability over comfort and style. In certain cases, workers were given fabrics to create their own clothes, such as flannel, osnaburg linen, and plains, which were unpleasant to wear due to their heavy and scratchy nature. Similar to skin color, clothing acted as a visible signifier of social status, utilized by white society to segregate and discriminate against slaves. For instance, the Negro Law of South Carolina explicitly prohibited slaves from wearing clothing made from finer materials or of greater value than “negro cloth.” Harriet Ann Jacobs, an abolitionist, and writer who escaped slavery, vividly recalled her dislike for the linsey-woolsey dress given to her each winter, as it symbolized her enslaved status.
However, with emancipation, clothing became a powerful symbol of freedom for the formerly enslaved individuals. During the American Civil War in 1861, newly freed slaves patiently waited in lines to select clothing from boxes provided by Northern states. Although the clothing distributed was often old and soiled, these individuals eagerly discarded the garments associated with their enslaved past, cherishing the opportunity to remove the physical reminders of their former status. The first official Juneteenth celebrations in Texas in 1866 saw Black Americans ceremoniously discarding their tattered clothing and replacing them with garments taken from the plantations that once enslaved them, symbolizing their newfound liberation.
To this day, fashion remains an integral component of Juneteenth celebrations, allowing individuals to express their individuality and pay homage to their ancestors. Many Black Americans choose to wear traditional clothing from the African diaspora to honor their heritage. Color themes, such as the red, white, and blue of the Juneteenth flag, are also significant, serving as a reminder that enslaved Black Americans were, above all, patriotic Americans. Another symbolic color trio is red, black, and green, representing the official colors of Black History Month. These colors hold deep meaning, with red symbolizing the bloodshed for redemption and liberty, black representing the distinguished race to which individuals belong, and green representing the lush vegetation of Africa, their ancestral homeland, as described by the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
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