We should make Juneteenth a national holiday.
Here’s why.
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Here’s why.
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The most important and straightforward reason is that we do not, at this point, have a national holiday that recognizes the sin of slavery or celebrates its abolition.
Juneteenth would do both.
Juneteenth would do both.
But why choose this particular date?
Why not the day when slaves first arrived on American soil? Or the day Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Or the day the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified?
Why not the day when slaves first arrived on American soil? Or the day Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Or the day the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified?
These too would be reasonable choices.
But by commemorating the moment when men and women who had been kept in captivity for over two years even after this most horrid of institutions was abolished learned of their liberation, Juneteenth does two deeply meaningful things.
But by commemorating the moment when men and women who had been kept in captivity for over two years even after this most horrid of institutions was abolished learned of their liberation, Juneteenth does two deeply meaningful things.
1)
Juneteenth forces us to ponder the fates of individuals.
Rather than lamenting slavery in the abstract, it draws our attention to specific people—to how unspeakably horrible it must have been to be kept in chains, and how incomparably joyous to win one’s freedom.
Juneteenth forces us to ponder the fates of individuals.
Rather than lamenting slavery in the abstract, it draws our attention to specific people—to how unspeakably horrible it must have been to be kept in chains, and how incomparably joyous to win one’s freedom.
2)
Juneteenth unflinchingly commemorates the horrors of slavery yet also tells a story of hope.
It draws our attention to the fact that, imperfect and hard-won though it may be, progress towards greater equality has always been and now remains possible.
Juneteenth unflinchingly commemorates the horrors of slavery yet also tells a story of hope.
It draws our attention to the fact that, imperfect and hard-won though it may be, progress towards greater equality has always been and now remains possible.
A last word:
The idea of Juneteenth has long been championed by black scholars and activists. (Here’s one argument in its favor.)
Is it appropriate for a white man like me to speak about it?
That’s a serious question. But my answer is a clear yes.
vox.com/identities/201…
The idea of Juneteenth has long been championed by black scholars and activists. (Here’s one argument in its favor.)
Is it appropriate for a white man like me to speak about it?
That’s a serious question. But my answer is a clear yes.
vox.com/identities/201…
Any American who is committed to this country's founding principles should be disturbed by our failure to live up to them, and committed to doing better in the future.
Achieving racial equality is not the exclusive concern of this or that group; it should be a priority for all.
Achieving racial equality is not the exclusive concern of this or that group; it should be a priority for all.
All of us have reason to remember the evils of slavery and celebrate those who overcame it.
All of us also have reason to fight the injustices that still persist to create, finally, a more perfect union.
Juneteenth is a moving and beautiful way to call us to that cause.
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All of us also have reason to fight the injustices that still persist to create, finally, a more perfect union.
Juneteenth is a moving and beautiful way to call us to that cause.
[End]
