https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsHappy Emancipation Day!
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) June 19, 2020
Just a few facts:The US was 3rd to last in the Americas to abolish slavery.
The Emancipation Proclamation came abt partially because enslaved people were self-liberating by the thousands. Don’t let them tell you we just waited to be free.#JuneteenthDay
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsJust a correction- an army ship arrived, they told enslaved people it would be best to stay with your masters and work out payment, there were celebrations, but there were also massacres, the next year in an act of defiance and a celebration Juneteenth was born
— jennthetutor 🎓 👩🏾🏫 🧩 #testoptionalnow-ESQ/JD (@jennthetutor) June 19, 2020
June 19, 1865: “Juneteenth” Emancipation Day
From Zinn Education Project: https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/juneteenth-emancipation-day/
JUNETEENTH: THE GROWTH OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HOLIDAY (1865- )
Although news of emancipation came at different times during that Texas summer and autumn 1865, local blacks gradually settled on June 19 (Juneteenth) as their day of celebration. Beginning in 1866 they held parades, picnics, barbecues, and gave speeches in remembrance of their liberation. By 1900 the festivities had grown to include baseball games, horse races, street fairs, rodeos, railroad excursions, and formal balls. Two distinct trends emerged with these early celebrations. First the oldest of the surviving former slaves were often given a place of honor. That place of honor rose direct proportion to the dwindling numbers of survivors with each passing year. Secondly, black Texans initially used these gatherings to locate missing family members and soon they became staging areas for family reunions.
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/juneteenth-birth-african-american-holiday-2/
Teaching Juneteenth https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth
A common mistake among those who teach the history of American slavery is to center the U.S. government’s role in granting freedom while also placing the onus to navigate through a racist society solely on the formerly enslaved.
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth
In other words: The Emancipation Proclamation was signed January 1, 1863. Enslaved peoples did not hear of the news until over two years later. And the white general and military want a medal for that. But at least Al Edwards tried to make it an office Texas state holiday. When I read some articles about it, the levels of critical thinking skills to parse out some of the underlying racism and white supremacy to all my brain power. Our nation did not honor the blood taken during the Reconstruction. We have a chance to make things better, right, and just. If you believe in a higher power, and that higher power speaks to you, listen.
https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
“Texas Blazes the Trail“
“On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.“
If you, white person, don’t know much about Juneteenth it’s never too late. Imagine our nation and its ability to heal, and tap into its more generous and loving side, if Juneteenth had been made into a national day of remembering, asking for forgiveness, and most importantly: reparations.
Mrs. Kelly Love 
You must be logged in to post a comment.