On Juneteeth: What is Our Responsibility Now?

On this day where we recognize the anniversary of the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming the freedom of enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865, I find myself in a place of extreme gratitude and reflection.

In a country where anti-literacy laws once ruled the day – making it illegal for enslaved and free Black people to read, write, or teach – I’ve been with blessed with opportunities to do all of the above in institutions of higher learning and federal agencies that my Washington State-born-and-bred mind, at times, finds hard to believe.?Though I’ve lived in the National Capital Region for over a decade now, there are still times when I walk the streets of DC, Maryland and, certainly, Virginia, and just marvel at what God has allowed to transpire. ?

As I think about the family line that I come from, I can’t help but think of the people that made it possible for me to do what I do.?

There’s the young man that came from the farm fields of Toledo, Ohio who would proudly serve his country in the United States Air Force and then, while pursuing both undergraduate and graduate-level education, would go on to be one of the first to integrate the Northwest Mountain Region of the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Traffic Controller, Tower Manager, and Quality Assurance Specialist.

And, of course, he didn’t reach those levels of success alone.?He was proud to tell anyone that would listen that it wasn’t until he joined forces with a young, Louisiana-bred, Dillard University-educated woman – who was also a member of her college’s chapter of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee who would then go on to become a successful Federal employee in her own right – that his life began the upward climb.?

(Fun fact:?one of the conditions of their courtship that he set in place was to get help studying for and successfully passing the Air Traffic Controllers Exam.?No help? No dates.?Thank God, she obliged and that everything worked out…just sayin. ??)

As I walk into work at my new agency each day - with an important mission in front of me and a rich family legacy underfoot - I can’t help but wonder: what is our responsibility to those that came before, knowing what they endured so that, one day, we might have it better and be in a place where we could continue the work of carrying their dreams forward and raising them to new heights?

As complicated a question as that is, to me, the answer can be surmised very simply – to continue.

As Dr. Maya Angelou depicts in her famous poem, it’s our job to write the words and sing the songs of our forefathers and foremothers, tell the tales of those that came before us, and with those stories in our minds and in our bones, make impactful strides in our chosen work and life’s callings to ensure that progress and forward movement to creating a more harmonious world where all can live well and thrive continues…

Thank you, Mom and Dad, and all those that came before.?

Challenge accepted - I will absolutely continue.

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