The annual events serve as a celebration of familial culture, yet they also serve as a reminder of the painful history endured by many families during slavery. Lifestyle blog Sassy Plum and the National Park Service mentioned how Black Americans witnessed their loved ones being taken away from them.

They later became part of the “Triangle Trade,” where merchants transported millions of enslaved people to Europe, Africa and the Americas. In 1865, Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to end slavery, which The National Museum of African American History & Culture cited as motivation for many following their freedom to reunite with family members.

As enslaved individuals embarked on their journey toward freedom, the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the American Civil War, marked a pivotal moment. However, it’s important to note that the proclamation only liberated enslaved people held in Confederate states.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction,” Lincoln said, per NMAAHC.

Since the abolition of slavery, families have employed various methods to seek out their loved ones who were separated or sold during the era of enslavement. These efforts were driven by a genuine desire to reunite with relatives and restore familial bonds. Author Alex Haley’s 1976 book Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the movie released the following year also inspired families to find their loved ones enslaved in Africa and North America.

As the Black family unit faced significant challenges over time, families worldwide were committed to preserving their heritage by establishing unique traditions to be handed down from generation to generation.