For reasons that should be abundantly clear, there has been a fair amount of talk lately about Juneteenth. After doing some reading and watching some videos, I have been thinking for weeks about what I should post to commemorate the day. Here’s the conclusion I reached (with the help of Beloved). I should say nothing. It’s not my experience or my thoughts that matter.
Instead, I’m going to let some very smart people educate us all about the origins of Juneteenth. I wish a joyous Emancipation Day to all who celebrate, and I’m sorry I didn’t get it before.
“In the most remote corners of the Confederacy, news of slavery’s end did not come until more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. On June 19, 1865, General Order No. 3 was delivered to the people of Galveston, Texas, officially freeing the last enslaved people in the United States. [It is important to] celebrate the history and continued significance of Juneteenth.”
Now that you’ve got the broad strokes, I recommend you also give this 19-minute podcast a listen.
Today Explained by Google Podcasts
And there are some great additional resources to be found here.
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My OBT 
June 19, 2020 at 7:07 am
Thanks for this post –
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June 19, 2020 at 10:25 am
Thank you for reading it and for commenting. It’s so hard to get it right, but I so want to strike the right note. Beloved and I never want to be part of the problem.
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June 19, 2020 at 8:05 am
Well…since history is being erased I guess this will be next.
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June 19, 2020 at 10:29 am
All I want is for us to be honest and informed about the real stories. History may have been written by the victors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find out the real story if we try. I know all this unrest is very uncomfortable, but if things change for the better, then we all benefit. Sending love.
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June 19, 2020 at 12:46 pm
For the better…yes…but it doesn’t look to be going that direction.
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June 19, 2020 at 2:18 pm
I’m hoping it’s all growing pains.
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June 19, 2020 at 2:46 pm
Knowing my wife would be upset if I posted what I really think on this topic. So let me soften it some. My family had nothing to do with slaves. I live today not 150 years ago. If somebody commits a crime, regardless of their skin color they need to be in jail. I don’t see skin color, I see people. I have friends of many colors. Sorry but I am not going to celebrate anything based on skin color. Hal
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June 19, 2020 at 2:59 pm
This celebration is about the emancipation of slaves who were all of one skin color. Being colorblind has its place, but in my opinion, this holiday is deserving of note BECAUSE it is about a particular ethnicity. We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
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June 20, 2020 at 5:13 pm
As you might suspect, this celebration is HUGE in Texas because of the Galveston reveal. And then, there was Reconstruction. And then Jim Crow. And now, still racism. BUT YAY, now it takes on a NEW meaning during these days of BLM ❤
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