My Birthday is Now a National Holiday - Juneteenth

I grew up in Texas and have always thought it was special that my birthday fell on the day that the people of my state finally found out that they were technically emancipated. #jimcrow

Now Juneteenth a federal holiday, and one more way in which the history and legacy of slavery must be recognized every year. This will also be a year in which the passage of this act is a nice rejoinder to all of those aggressively ignorant legislatures including my own state's (and the Southern Baptist Convention) who are passing laws against teaching about the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory.

I've consumed dozens of movies and books about the stories of the holocaust and it's actively taught in German schools so all citizens can actively work against it happening again and be reminded of its lasting impacts.

I've also done the same concerning slavery, Jim Crow and the New Jim Crow in America. I've educated myself on CRT and continue to, so I can reduce the ignorance (both benign and aggressive) of those who might benefit from understanding why we're not just too "woke."

I was born on June 19, 1976 for a reason. I sat down for the pledge of allegiance for two years in high school in the 90s in a proto-Kaeprnick protest against what I learned in books at the library (not in class) about what my beloved country has done to Black people.

Yet I still served in our Air Force because I love this country. I believe that we can do better and I signed up to fight with all the tools available to see that the check written by the framers gets cashed for us all. And today I still mentor cadets at USAFA to help those who have the same burden achieve the same goal and served on the Superintendent's Critical Conversations Committee in response to the George Floyd murder to address issues of race in the Air Force and at USAFA.

I'm also fighting a battle to build Wealth, Power and Prestige for myself, my family and as many other Black people and families as I can, so they can help in the fight to make America fulfill its promise.

And today as a result of a historic election in 2020 and an even more critical runoff in Georgia in January, despite the attempt of the insurrectionists and powered by an army of mostly Black and majority Black female soldiers in this fight, America became a little better. This year, the 45th time I celebrate my connection to a most inauspicious and perhaps infamous date in history, I'll know that all the frustrating setbacks along the way and all the beating my head against the wall in search of progress and all the insane discussions I've had with people who think institutional racism and the impacts of slavery and Jim Crow are a thing of the past can be worthwhile for days like this. 

I'll celebrate with some tears because there were still 15 Representatives in the house who voted against it. One of them, Matt Rosendale said, the law was "an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics." And one Senator, Ron Johnson, who voted for it while saying, "While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter." I'm assured that there are many others in our country who feel the same as indicated by the voter suppression laws and the anti-intellecutal bills against the 1619 Project and CRT Teaching. 

My well-developed muscle to shake the haters off is engaged and the fight will continue. Oh...and I'll party a little too!

#norestfortheweary #Juneteenth #weekofftocelebrate