Juneteenth

Maybe you’ve noticed Juneteenth in your Google calendar and have no idea what it is. I know that was me last year. I thought maybe it’s just another made-up silly holiday, until I typed it into Google and did some research. Was I ever wrong! While I highly encourage each of you to do your own research, I’ll share with you some basic information on what Juneteenth is all about.

It’s argued by some that today, Juneteenth, should be America's true Independence Day, because white men and women were still holding Black people as slaves in July 4, 1776 and while we declared freedom from Great Britain to be a free country, we weren’t all free on the human level. I understand this argument, but I personally think both dates should be respected and celebrated nationally as historic dates of freedom.

Anyways, it was on this date (June 19, 1965) that enslaved Black people in Texas finally got the news that they were free (2.5 years AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln)! Still, this didn't mean all were immediately free. Some people were kept as slaves for many more years, other Black people were whipped, beaten or shot as they tried to leave by their white masters. Others, were finally liberated and headed towards their family in other parts of the country. Even so, they were all encouraged to keep quiet and stay working for their masters for a wage.

Today, Juneteenth is recognized in ~45 states and is celebrated annually by those who are familiar with it, but also used as a time for reflection and to bring awareness to the imbalance of inequality in America today and modern-day slavery (as there are still millions of victims around the world).

I think Juneteenth should be a national holiday that celebrates the freedom and dignity of ALL Americans. What do you think?

”With liberty and justice for ALL.”