A Message To and From Our Firm
Gibbs Giden will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2020, in observance of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is a national day of celebration memorializing the end of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery -- more than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Though slavery ended 165 years ago, the nation continues to grapple with issues of racism and racial injustice. These issues are not new -- but the wave of energy toward change we are witnessing throughout LA, across the United States, and around the world, signals a cautious hope for the road ahead.
In addition to marking a date of major significance in American history, Juneteenth has always been both a day of remembrance and an opportunity for African-Americans to honor their history and celebrate Black culture. African-American historian and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. writes that, over generations, Juneteenth became: “an occasion for gathering lost family members, measuring progress against freedom and inculcating rising generations with the values of self-improvement and racial uplift. This was accomplished through readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, religious sermons and spirituals, the preservation of slave food delicacies (always at the center: the almighty barbecue pit), as well as the incorporation of new games and traditions, from baseball to rodeos and, later, stock car races and overhead flights.”
During these unprecedented times in which African-Americans find themselves having to assert their humanity in the midst of a global health crisis, the partners of Gibbs Giden have decided to close our offices for Juneteenth to reflect and plan ahead. Perhaps some of us will use this as an opportunity to pause from our daily routine in favor of community and remembrance. Or maybe others will use the day as an occasion for learning and reflection on the long and deep wounds of racism that have endured notwithstanding the end of slavery and educating ourselves on the work that remains to be done in order to ensure that discrimination and injustice are eliminated in our society.
For more information about Juneteenth, I encourage you to visit any of the 6 links above. I also encourage you to read the unsolicited response copied below that I received from one of our partners, James I. Montgomery, Jr. in response to my message announcing that our office would close on June 19, 2020 for Juneteenth. In addition to being an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer with over thirty-six years of experience in insurance defense, products liability, and commercial law, James is a former President of the African American Insurance Professionals Foundation, former President of the John M. Langston Bar Association, a member of the Langston Bar Association Hall of Fame, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and a passionate supporter and member of the Board of Directors of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, (ICYOLA). With James' permission, I copy and paste his response message below:
From: James Montgomery
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2020
To: Christopher Ng; All Users
Subject: RE: A Message For and From Our Law Firm
I wanted to personally thank the firm for its decision to recognize the significance of Juneteenth and the importance of reflection for this day.
When the news showed the National Guard arriving in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky two weeks ago, I immediately flash-backed to when I was 12 years old. Upon arriving to my elementary school, I saw a playground filled with the National Guard and their vehicles who were called in response to the protests for social justice. Fast forward 52 years, the protest for racial justice continues.
As a supplement to Chris’ excellent recitation of history related to the emancipation of slaves, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Abolition of Slavery) was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864 and by the House on January 31, 1865. The required number of states had ratified the Amendment by December 6, 1865. However, Kentucky was one of the states that rejected the 13th Amendment through legislative action that same year. Surprisingly, Kentucky did not ratify this Amendment until March 18, 1976, when I was 19 years old. On a personal note of pride, one of the members of the State Legislature who voted for ratification was my aunt, Georgia M. Powers, the first Black and first woman to serve in the Kentucky State Senate.
The recent events involving George Floyd and many others has awakened the country, and the world, to the plight and experiences of Black America. As Chris indicated, I am also hopeful that this awakening and the work of peaceful protesters from all walks of life will bring about real and meaningful change toward justice and equality for all.
---James
I must admit that until I received James' email, I had no idea about his experiences growing up in Kentucky, despite the fact that we have been colleagues for 20 years. I must also acknowledge that until earlier this week, I did not remember that Kentucky had not ratified the 13th Amendment until 1976, nor that Mississippi had not ratified the 13th Amendment until March 16, 1995 (certified February 7, 2013). I must further divulge that I had no idea that there was a 2 1/2 year delay between President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and when the enslaved in Galveston, Texas learned that slavery was abolished and they were free. Finally, I must admit that until earlier this week, I was not at all familiar with the unofficial American holiday of Juneteenth. And this is why we choose to acknowledge, reflect, and rejoice on this 19th day of June, 2020.
---CN