JUNE THE NINETEENTH IS ABOUT YOU; HERE IS WHY
By Philo Uwamaria
June the 19th is the day we pause, reflect, and remember the inequalities African Americans faced over the years until present day. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a law for us to remember the emancipation of African Americans and commemorate African American Culture.
The day goes by many names: the Juneteenth National Independence day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, or Black Independence Day.
Happy not to come to the office on the day? That makes two of us and some! Not only in your state but the entire federal republic will be on holiday. How cool is that! Except for this time, it will not be a weather-infested movie binge and thankfully, not a pandemic-informed lockdown. Instead, it will be a monumental pause, hopefully a reset button, to educate ourselves and evaluate our learnings, to deeply reflect.
History of Juneteenth
But what is the day all about, why was it chosen? We cannot exhaust the history of the day in one blog post. At the time, our nation dealt with equality challenges of an intense kind, there were lone voices of courage who stood for change; and since then, a lot of water under the bridge, sweat and tears, a lot to be proud of but equally, lots of room for improvement.
Here is a brief on why June the 19th should be remembered by all of us and those who follow after. During the American civil war, there was a big clash between the warring forces on the question of slavery. Yes, it was once a debate. That is how far we’ve come! On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the enslaved people of Texas and all other Southern secessionist states in the Confederacy except in parts of states not in rebellion. The challenge was that enforcement of such an order depended on the progress of Union troops. That meant that for a time, slavery remained in some Union states. Finally, on June the 19th, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3, proclaiming the freedom of the enslaved people in Texas. You can read more about the history of the day here.
Violence against BIPOC continues to be a challenge in our nation to this day. In the years after emancipation, George Floyd’s murder was obviously not the first racially motivated crime, and we cannot say it was the last. However, we can say that the spotlight on the soul of our society left an indelible mark. It sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, a global campaign to bring awareness to the regrettable evils that still lurk within our society.
How You Can Be Part of this Day
While building on such guideposts, we can take days like June the 19th to reflect on whether we are doing enough or if there is indeed more we can do to make our society safe for all the people that comprise it.
Our former First Lady, Michelle Obama, once said, “Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress.” We can add to her optimism and claim a part of the struggle for this improved responsibility. It is not a black person’s battle but a battle for every well-meaning American to shun racism in all its forms. You may want to soak in even more of such wisdom.
Here is a good place to start.
Let us start by spreading some love and light. On June 19th;
Will you reach out to a friend of color and wish them a happy commemoration day?
Will you send some flowers?
Will you look for some causes impacting marginalized communities that you can actively participate in?
Will you use a few moments of your time online to join the voices of progress and raise even more awareness within your social networks?
Will you donate to the cause?
These options are in no way exhaustive but indeed not a bad place to start. So let us make the day count, let us honor the blood and sweat of our ancestors but more importantly, let us take the baton, let us lift the torch, and shine the path for those who follow us.