Wishing You An Uncomfortable Juneteenth.
As June 19 approaches, I'm listening to the iconic Nina Simone sing "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free." The opening lyric goes:
I wish I knew how
It would feel to be free
I wish I could break
All the chains holding me
I wish I could say
All the things that I should say
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole round world to hear
Juneteenth marks the day that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the outlier state and ensure that all enslaved Americans would belatedly be released from bondage.
History buffs may point out that the monumental Emancipation Proclamation had been issued years earlier, by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." But many enslaved people hadn't heard the news. The troops arrived in Galveston a full two and a half years after the Civil War had ended and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had been penned.
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Texas had managed to operate somewhat independently of the legislative changes, and many crafty slaveholders moved to The Lone Star State for precisely that reason, with 250,000 stolen human beings in tow.
Many enslavers even withheld the announcement until after their lucrative crops had been picked by captive hands for a final time.
Juneteenth became recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It's also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, and Emanicipation Day. It's long been a time for family reunions and barbeques, sparklers, storytelling, songs, and strawberry soda, although the formal recognition of the day, celebrated on June 19, may feel like too little, too late.
Democracy as we know it, or as we dream it, is under fire. This reality affects all Americans, and in fact affects the world. You may not want to hear it. Granted, who among us doesn't feel some degree of "activism fatigue"? While respecting that fatigue is what finally made Rosa Parks take her weary seat in the front of the bus, now is not the time for anyone to take a self-congratulatory chill pill.
Let's use this Juneteenth and every day after it as another day of sorely needed reckoning.
The future is ours. It belongs to every one of us.
The power is ours to claim.
Start by demanding accountablity of yourself, and your leaders.
Don't wait for anyone's permission.
And don't wait dor anyone to tell you you're free.