Juneteenth. The word alone stirs a complicated mix of pride, sorrow, and reflection in the hearts of many Black Americans. It marks June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, bringing news of freedom to enslaved Black people—a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It's a day seemingly meant to celebrate my ancestors' resilience and the long, arduous journey toward liberation. But here's the harsh reality: Juneteenth is STILL not enough.
Yes, making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a significant milestone. It's an acknowledgment of American history in a time where there are countless examples of American history being erased legislatively to make YT people feel better about their lineage.
But let’s not get it twisted: one holiday does not erase the systemic racism, economic disparities, and social injustices that Black people face every single day. So, symbols can only do so much. They are a starting point, not an endpoint.
Why do I feel this way? Let's be real: there are MANY people who don't even know why they have a day off. To me, this holiday has always been suspect. As the kids say, it's GIVING: "we had to give them SOMETHING" and "THEY should be THANKFUL."
Why would I ever want to celebrate my ancestors learning about being 'free' when they were already free before being enslaved? It feels like I'm accepting that my ancestors' bodies did not already belong to them, and that freedom was a GIFT that they were given. Accepting this day also means I accept the narrative that all Black people are from Africa, when I KNOW some of my ancestors were Indigenous and already here. This land was STOLEN from them. The others were Kings and Queens and were STOLEN from their land. To agree to celebrating this day feels like I'm condoning the theft and enslavement of my ancestors' bodies, intelligence, culture, land, and way of life. I do not comply.
Furthermore, in the Gregorian Calendar Year of 2024, Black communities are STILL grappling with systemic issues such as wealth gaps, educational disparities, health crises, and police brutality that cannot be solved by a holiday.
The racial wealth gap in America is staggering. Black families have a fraction of the wealth of white families, a disparity rooted in centuries of discrimination, from slavery to redlining to modern-day employment practices. Homeownership, a key driver of wealth, remains impossible for many Black families due to ongoing discriminatory lending practices.
Also, our children are still fighting for equal educational opportunities. Schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods are often underfunded and lack the resources necessary to provide a quality education. The school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects Black students, pushing them out of classrooms and into the criminal justice system. It's been wild to see the disparities in real life and in real time.
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the stark health disparities that exist in this country. Black Americans suffered higher infection and death rates, a consequence of underlying health conditions and lack of access to quality healthcare. Even outside of the pandemic, Black women face alarmingly high maternal mortality rates, a direct result of systemic racism in healthcare. And childbirth has happened since the beginning of HUMANS. I don't know how the healthcare system is still not improving in this area of healthcare. #diversifyhealthcare
And we cannot talk about Juneteenth without addressing the ongoing issue of police brutality. The names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others are etched into our collective memory. Despite the protests and calls for reform, Black people have continued to be disproportionately targeted and killed by law enforcement.
So, today, while y'all celebrate Juneteenth, we all must also demand more. We must push for substantial, transformative changes that address the root causes of racial injustice.
And because the powers that be keep creating money to send overseas to support violence toward human beings, we must demand they continue creating money to assure every Black-identifying American receives their "40 acres and a mule"... to even the playing field. To play the game properly, at least let us show up to the game with the same equipment!
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