Here are two local celebrations of Juneteenth that are happening today. Details are at the links:
At the Lakefront in Columbia.
At Caroll Baldwin Hall in Savage.
The observation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is very new. President Biden signed it into law in 2021. The historical truth it rests upon is not new. It’s about slavery, period. The people who are experts in understanding that history are Black Americans. That can be uncomfortable for white people who are accustomed to feeling that pretty much everything centers around what we understand.
This year I’ve been actively looking for responses to Juneteenth that don’t come from people like me. This one made me realize what happens when the corporate world gets ahold of a concept that’s just too raw for them to articulate:
Maybe making Juneteenth a federal holiday was a mistake. Because what is this? - - Morgan Jerkins, Writer, Editor, Professor at Columbia University
“In observance of Juneteenth, we will be closed this Wednesday, June 19, 2024. This day holds great significance as we celebrate and honor every individual whose efforts and sacrifices have contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today.”
Notice anything? There’s no slavery, no Black Americans of African descent, no national reckoning. This is an “All Lives Matter” corporate-speak announcement. Statements like this, which blandly erase history, are not merely “off the mark” or watered down. They cause actual harm because they are actively obscuring the truth of American history, most particularly the suffering and injustice of the enslavement of Black Africans by white Americans.
Who should get the day off on Juneteenth? The following statement made me think.
To be clear, white people should NOT be awarded the day off for Juneteenth.
But since “equality” (identical treatment) is a MUCH more easily attainable goal than “equity” (actual fairness), [even racist] white people get the day off, too.
Critical thinking is key to antiracism. - - Johnathan Perkins, Director: Race and Equity, UCLA
Clearly I can’t speak for all white people but I do think there’s a general sense that we don’t know what to do with ourselves around the concept and observance of Juneteenth. What I have been reading online is that Black people wish we could, at the very least, not get in the way. Not make it about ourselves.
The next post, also from Mr. Perkins, made me smile.
Here’s another useful parallel. White people should treat #Juneteenth celebrations like they’re someone else’s birthday. It’s a party. You should be excited. But y’all’s only real role is to offer gifts and wait to be invited to celebrations.
It’s not about us. Nobody owes us anything. So: then what?
If you’re looking to do something more than simply not getting in the way, there are some excellent lists out there to get you started. Here’s the beginning of one by Guimel Carvalho, Director of People and Culture and Amy Hogarth Director of Recruitment and Inclusion at the Wayside Youth and Family Support Network.
10 Things We Want White People to Do to Celebrate Juneteenth
1. We want white people to deeply consider the wound of racism on the hearts of every Black American.
2. On Juneteenth we want white people to read, study Black history, Black poets, Black leaders, Black achievements.
3. We want white people to do things about racism as readily as they do things for their own children.
Talk about them with your friends, your family, your coworkers. Locally, the Anti-Racist Education Alliance holds events year-round that foster learning around issues of equity and anti-racism.
UCLA has created a Juneteenth Equity Toolkit which is an excellent resource if you are looking to learn more.
From the introduction:
On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally found out that they had been freed from bondage. Even though President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation over two years earlier, Texas slaveholders had hidden that fact from the people they kept in chains. Since then, generations of Black Americans have celebrated the anniversary of that liberation as “Juneteenth”.
But even 155 years later — and as recent national events have powerfully demonstrated — we have learned that celebrating and recognizing that day is not enough. What can we do to truly acknowledge Juneteenth? How can we learn more about the day itself, especially its historical and current repercussions? And how can we take action and get involved — both on campus and beyond — in the hope of genuine reform?
We want white people to do things about racism as readily as they do things for their own children.
Do we?
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