Juneteenth. Big Red, DEI & Time to Reflect.

A few items (past and present) for consideration.

Historically:

?????????-Juneteenth stems from the declaration of the end of slavery in Texas, the last state to fall under the jurisdiction of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery.?(Historical irony: arguably the last true battle of the American Civil War occurred in Texas, Palmito Ranch on May 12-13, 1865, with both Northern and Southern forces aware of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.?Why the battle occurred remains a matter of some question.?Forces engaged included Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. ??The Confederate forces triumphed.?They surrendered 2 weeks later and thereby effectively ended the Civil War.)?On June 19th, Northern General Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3 , which read in part “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”?Celebrations ensued, but the actual implementation of the order varied.

?????????-About 10% of Northern troops (and sailors) in the Civil War or something approaching 200,000 were black, about 40,000 black troops died fighting for the North and 26 earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. (As Malcolm X would say: “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man {sic}, you take it.”)?No black troops marched in the Grand Review of the Army on May 23-24, 1865 in Washington, D.C, a parade that included about 200,000 troops.?The ongoing fight for equal pay and pensions led to an 1864 Act of Congress although the struggle continued, including for equal disability payments.

To our times and, symbolically, Mount Everest:

-The first all-black team (seven climbers, 6 Americans and a Kenyan, 6 men and a woman) summited Mt. Everest on May 12, 2022.?Fittingly, they called themselves Full Circle.?Philip Henderson, team leader and veteran climber, didn’t make the final ascent, his words though did, capturing an aspect of comradeship and dedication, an application of lessons from respect hard won and befitting Juneteenth:

“We’re climbers—we’re people who like to be outside, and we just happen to be Black,” Henderson said. “We also know that we represent our communities.”

Henderson attempted to scale the peak in 2012 but turned back after falling ill. He also spent several months in Nepal training guides for expeditions on the mountain. Prior to their?2012 expedition, he brought this team to the Khumbu Valley in January to meet their supporting Sherpa guides.

Henderson told the team: “I want you to meet the people you’re working with, and to see their homes and villages, so that you have a connection with the people you’re asking to put themselves at risk so that you can say you climbed a mountain.”?https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/everest/full-circle-first-all-black-everest-expedition/

-Sophia Danenberg became the first African American woman to summit Everest on May 19, 2006.?Her TEDx of June 17, 2013 warrants a full attention viewing.?She offers 1) a wise perspective on the limits of dreams and the importance of discoveries along the way that can prove far worthier of pursuit than the original dream, 2) a deep appreciation of Sherpas (an underappreciated people, to say the least—in reality and symbolically), and 3) an emotional ethical question for any goal oriented, driven achiever (like, say, a mountain climber... or anyone else trying to ascend through life’s altitudes).?Her offered lessons fit Juneteenth and, for that matter, most other days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDr9Psdmrw

Happy Juneteenth—Here’s to sharing, individual and combined, the pursuit of liberty…for all.