Black Joy - not company recognition - is Juneteenth's heart

Black Joy - not company recognition - is Juneteenth's heart

In 2002 I was at the University of Iowa to research the history of liberation day celebrations in the state. I remember at one point that I was somewhat baffled by what Leslie Shawalm, the professor I was working with found: From 1865 to 1963, there were over 200 liberation day celebrations in Iowa alone. I always thought of this event as a Texas vacation.

While most of the enslaved people were liberated by the Declaration of Emancipation of Slaves made by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, those in Texas were not notified of the decree until 1865. On June 19 of that year, Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas, with news of That the war was over and the enslaved were now, finally, free. Scientists have discussed many causes for a two-year delay, but one thing is clear: in almost every state, blacks celebrated June 19, or June, for generations.

Historically, Juninthe is not widely recognized outside black societies, and it has taken some time for the general public to officially recognize history. Over the past forty years, 47 of 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as an official holiday or celebration day, but it is not yet a federal holiday. Given the current nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, major companies such as Nike, Uber, Spotify and J.C. Penney Juneteenth have been ranked as paid leave. Despite the importance of holidays, symbols, statues and flags, it will take more than increasing recognition for Juneteenth to combat racism. And if that is not followed by a fundamental change, the relatively recent stampede to recognize Juneteenth will feel like a virtue, and hollow acts of solidarity.

Whether companies or governments are right or not, the celebrations led by blacks will remain the heart of GentiNeth. The early events blacked out the black veterans of the Civil War and mainly took place in special places that could be contained from a white outlook. Those were later characterized by reunions, marches, and symbolic foods such as strawberry soda, red beans and rice, red velvet cake, and watermelon (the red color represented the perseverance of black ancestors). Black churches often led today's programs, which could include speeches from children memorizing quotes from their favorite black heroes, or singing the black national anthem, "Raise Every Voice and Sing." The post-World War II celebrations were not complete until someone read out the slave proclamation aloud.

Today, Juneteenth is suitable for voter registration engines and for supporting black-owned companies or community fundraising campaigns. This year in Houston, you can attend a virtual procession or take a Juneteenth bike ride. In Los Angeles, you can go four miles on foot to the Jontenth Monument in Ganesha Park. In New Orleans, you can visit Congo Square, a historic gathering place for enslaved and free people, or you can spend the day at the Whitney Farm, the only farm museum in Louisiana with a direct focus on the lives of enslaved people.

Despite the many ways to honor Juneteenth, one thing about the holiday has continued for generations: the paradox of the black experiences that they lived. How can they simultaneously celebrate freedom and admit that remnants of slavery still affect their lives? The turn of the century marked the height of violent black attacks on black societies, and the Supreme Court ruling in Blessy v. Ferguson, which made apartheid the law of the country. John had to. Thompson, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, "Passers-by in Iowa," is the most prominent black newspaper in the state at the time, wrestling with how to negotiate what he considered a new era of American ethnic relations. In a celebration of Liberation Day in 1898, Thompson asked the audience "to see the veterans who preceded me today and who witnessed their cruel and inhuman treatment one day," noting that "all of this was done under our beautiful flag and the so-called Liberal flag."

Now many black Americans are grappling with how to celebrate Juneteenth amid protests and the coronary epidemic. I came across a tweet that said: "Some of us are fighting racism by raising our black children to learn about joy. This is also important." Black Americans have always been rejoicing and grieving in their hands: The protesters chanted "I can't breathe" and in the same place they stormed a mass electric chip. As my faith Perry wrote in the Atlantic newspaper, "Racism is terrible. Blackness is not."