Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) means more than just the enslaved Blacks in Texas finding out after the war had ended that they had been freed. Its history explains how the legacy of slavery still impacts our lives every day and Juneteenth’s promise of freedom gives us the faith to continue our struggle.
The legacy of slavery reminds us that even when the very Union was at stake, White Confederates chose to fight a civil war rather than accept Blacks as equals. The civil war ended legal slavery, but not anti-black racism.There was no racial reconciliation commission or apology for slavery or no plan to make the transition from enslavement to freedom go smoothly. Ex-slaves were, as Frederick Douglass said “free, without roofs to cover them, or bread to eat, or land to cultivate, and as a consequence died in such numbers as to awaken the hope of their enemies that they would soon disappear.”
Despite this dire picture, Juneteenth also reminds us that Blacks played an extraordinary role in preserving the Union as they fought and died for a freedom that many never experienced. The multi-racial democracy that existed for a brief moment during reconstruction showed us what is possible. That’s why Juneteenth is also a time of joy because it represents what should be with its hope of a better tomorrow and explains why our ancestors still sang in the dark times. Juneteenth is now celebrated in all 50 states.
Given the rise of anti-black violence in the U.S. some are asking are things getting worse?Was Martin Luther King’s Beloved community just a pipe dream, because in 2022 law and order still prevail over peace with justice? Fear and hatred still triumph over love and trust. Are the racist and anti-democratic forces so powerful in the U.S. that no matter what we do, nothing really changes? Here is where we can learn from the history they want us to ban.
When Blacks joined forces with pro-union Whites, scholars say it was the only time the racists and anti-democratic forces were defeated in this country. By the start of the civil war there are estimates of over a quarter million Black and White abolitionists in the US-as well as thousands more who served in the Underground Railroad in both the north and south risking their lives.
We may not know their names, but we know what they did. They fought together to end slavery and to save this country. These folks should be our heroes, not some traitorous confederates with undeserved monuments, or who were popularized in movies and westerns. We’re in need of new heroes to save the union in 2022 and become the first generation since reconstruction to say NO to white supremacy and YES to a multi-racial democracy. If we do that, then we will fulfill Juneteenth’s promise of a place at the table for all of us, regardless of our race, religious beliefs, or whom we love. Happy Juneteenth!!
