Bridging the Gap: Celebrating both Juneteenth & July 4th
As a Black American who has always been closely connected to patriotism, thanks to being a “military brat,” I’ve stood in solidarity with our flag and national anthem. I’ve always had a sense of pride in being an American living from one military post to another my first eighteen years of life. My parents were good educators, teaching us important life skills and preparing us for what the world would be like for their young Black daughters. Working hard and achieving was the norm. Our family didn’t grow up celebrating Juneteenth, and I don’t have a recollection of it being taught at home or at school. We did talk about slavery and racism, how it existed in the past, and how it is perpetuated today. I watched the series Roots by Alex Haley when I was eight years old. At such a young age, I understood the debt that had been paid for me and wanted to make the “ancestors” proud. As I began to study more independently about myself, the barbaric nature of slavery became no longer my shame. Why should it be? I was not the one who enslaved others. I am also not the one who wants to continue to benefit from the oppression and disenfranchisement of others. Instead of the shame that I once felt for my people who had been dehumanized, my mindset shifted to looking at the resilience that flows through my people and flows through me today.
My family celebrates the 4th of July. I am an American, and I also acknowledge that the passage of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, did not apply to Black people. We know that the first captives were brought to Jamestown in 1619, and that time period is referenced as the beginning of slavery in America. As a Black American, I’m not asking for permission to celebrate Juneteenth. I am, however, challenging those who do not understand the need for the holiday or its celebration to grapple with the fact that the United States of America celebrated its freedom from England while equally holding others in bondage for generations. Though black people were Emancipated in 1863, our freedom was not known to all Black people or even regarded by all slaveholders until 1865.
This is not about white guilt. It’s about We Must Never Forget! We live in a time where there is tremendous anti-blackness and successful attempts to erase history. We celebrate a lot of people and cultures in our country, but when it regards or centers Black people, it is considered divisive, with a victim mentality and the thought, “We should all just move on.” Black History is American History, so while our nation celebrates its freedom, Juneteenth should be a part of that because it recognizes the freedom of a segment of the population that was not Black Americans.
Slaves and their descendants are Americans, and while we continue to fight for equality and justice, Juneteenth should represent a continuous commitment of the people of the United States to live up to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all.
