The Fist and the Cross: Reclaiming the True Legacy of Juneteenth

Every year on June 19th, millions celebrate Juneteenth — the day in 1865 when enslaved Black Americans in Texas were finally told they were free. It’s a day of reflection, remembrance, and rejoicing. But increasingly, the raised fist — often colored in red, black, green, or rainbow — has become the dominant symbol of Juneteenth celebrations.

But here’s the truth: that symbol is a historical misnomer.

The raised fist, in its origins, is not a symbol of Christian liberation. It emerged from Marxist and socialist revolutions, not biblical abolitionism. It was used in the Soviet Union, by labor unions, and later by Black Power groups in the 1960s. While it has come to represent resistance and empowerment, it does not represent the true force that brought slavery to an end in the United States.

That force was Jesus Christ — working through Christian abolitionists.

It was Bible-believing Christians, filled with conviction and courage, who led the charge to abolish slavery. They weren’t waving fists; they were carrying crosses — in their hearts and often on their backs.

• William Wilberforce and Hannah More in England.

• Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Charles Finney in America.

• Pastors, preachers, and everyday Christians who risked everything to obey God’s command: “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction” (Proverbs 31:8).

These were not secular revolutionaries. They were Christians obeying the Word of God.

So as we celebrate Juneteenth, let’s tell the truth about how slavery was abolished:

Not by fists. But by faith. Not by ideology. But by obedience to Christ.

If we must choose a symbol, let it not be the clenched fist of revolution, but the outstretched arms of the Cross — the symbol of true liberty, purchased not with blood on the battlefield, but with the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who sets men free.