Wow.
Just last year A LOT of people heard of Juneteenth for the very first time. This year it was officially made a Federal Holiday.
I'm hopeful that that means we are taking steps toward more important measures. Or wait, more important makes it sound like Juneteenth isn't important. It is. I grew up with friends who celebrated Juneteenth instead of or along with July 4th. It was a more for all Americans Independence Day. Because let's face it celebrating freedom is harder if you know your ancestors weren't actually free on that date but were still enslaved and would be for generations still.
Just last year A LOT of people heard of Juneteenth for the very first time. This year it was officially made a Federal Holiday.
I'm hopeful that that means we are taking steps toward more important measures. Or wait, more important makes it sound like Juneteenth isn't important. It is. I grew up with friends who celebrated Juneteenth instead of or along with July 4th. It was a more for all Americans Independence Day. Because let's face it celebrating freedom is harder if you know your ancestors weren't actually free on that date but were still enslaved and would be for generations still.
So, yes, Juneteenth is important. And it would be really great if people took time to actually learn about the date. And the fact that it took troops to enforce emancipation, not just the war but after as well. But what would be really really great is if we took the time to reflect on what we still need to do.
Learning about our entire history is important.
Learning about the ramifications of that history is critical.
Actually acting on the information is imperative to our country's general well being.
Instead we have states trying to make sure our complete history isn't taught.
We have people trying to make the discussion about how we have traditionally treated people of different colors differently the problem.
Not the fact that it's been done, the talking about it. The whole it's too divisive to talk about our divisions!
It's frustrating to see the same arguments and justifications used over and over again.
On my "on this day" feed from seven years ago I had posted about how it shouldn't even be a discussion on changing the Washington Football team's name. A slur is a slur is a slur. And there were those who tried to "Well actually" me about the name. And those that said it would never be changed. Well...it finally has been. It took a lot. It took last year and the racial justice movement that came out of the murder of George Floyd and people finally paying attention to what their eyes were showing them. But at least it happened. But it's still frustrating to see that people fought it for so long. And still are fighting it.
Oh it's just too much political correctness.
Oh it's just cancel culture run wild.
Oh it's just so racist to talk about racism.
Oh it's racist to advocate for racial justice.
Oh you want to be special instead of equal.
It's frustrating to see the same arguments and justifications used over and over again.
On my "on this day" feed from seven years ago I had posted about how it shouldn't even be a discussion on changing the Washington Football team's name. A slur is a slur is a slur. And there were those who tried to "Well actually" me about the name. And those that said it would never be changed. Well...it finally has been. It took a lot. It took last year and the racial justice movement that came out of the murder of George Floyd and people finally paying attention to what their eyes were showing them. But at least it happened. But it's still frustrating to see that people fought it for so long. And still are fighting it.
Oh it's just too much political correctness.
Oh it's just cancel culture run wild.
Oh it's just so racist to talk about racism.
Oh it's racist to advocate for racial justice.
Oh you want to be special instead of equal.
Where is my parade?
Where are my reparations?
Where are my reparations?
We've heard it all.
So, yes, I'm really glad Juneteenth is a Federal Holiday now. I'm hopeful that all of the states adopt it as well. I can remember how long it took to get everyone on the MLK Day train. And I do know there are places in the south that have uglied it up with Confederate bullshit. So...
Yeah.
Progress is always good. And I do understand that forward movement is really important. And symbolic gestures are great if the symbolism is backed by action.
Progress is always good. And I do understand that forward movement is really important. And symbolic gestures are great if the symbolism is backed by action.
So.
Happy Juneteenth everyone! I hope the year ahead is filled with forward progress. I hope you honor the history of our country by learning all of it. And the lessons therein. And how we can take that knowledge and those lessons and continue to work toward that more perfect union.
Let freedom ring. For all of us.
Let freedom ring. For all of us.
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