Juneteenth… And Now What?
by Jennifer Roberts
Yesterday was Juneteenth. For the second year in the 245-year history of the United States, this historic day was recognized as a federal holiday.
On June 19th, 1865, news of the end of the legalized enslavement of African Americans reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1st, 1863. News traveled slow.
So, what does Juneteenth mean 157 years after the last enslaved African Americans were freed? Holidays and celebrations are wonderful and important but they are fleeting. When the final anthem has been sung and the parking lot has been cleared, what does Juneteenth mean for our country and for our communities going forward? I have some thoughts.
Juneteenth is an opportunity to truthfully educate people who still don’t know or understand the brutal truth of American History, a truth that includes the enslavement of millions of Africans and African Americans for 246 years. Juneteenth is an opportunity to teach and learn about the legalized system of chattel slavery and its horrific effects that are baked into every American system. It is an opportunity to educate ourselves and our children about the historic and contemporary abuse, subjugation and disenfranchisement of Black people in the United States.
Juneteenth is an opportunity to create safe spaces that invite respectful and meaningful conversations. It is a microphone for America to confess its corporate sin of slavery, seek forgiveness and do the work of repentance.
Juneteenth is an invitation for America to reflect on the racist ideas, attitudes and actions that allowed for a legalized system of slavery that shape-shifted into Jim Crow, school to prison pipelines, mass-incarceration and social discrimination. It is an opportunity for Americans to make conscious choices to treat Black people equitablyin every facet of life including government, housing, healthcare and education. It is an invitation to act in ways that recognize and celebrate the humanity, value and significance of Black people in this country in active and intentional ways every single day.
Juneteenth is a wakeup call for every American who is still asleep about the horrors of slavery and those who refuse to acknowledge America’s abhorrent past. It is a gateway to learn, grow, understand and to transfer knowledge that will empower us all to be our individual and collective bests.
Juneteenth is more than a day on the calendar. It is a state of mind. It is a way of being, a way of thinking, a way of moving through the world with accurate education, love and empathy for African-American people that inspires us all to do and be better.
