Opinion: Juneteenth Should Inspire Continued Quest for Freedoms
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Today is Juneteenth, a day that continues to be a vital time for remembrance, education, and celebration, reinforcing the importance of freedom, justice, and equality for all.
Juneteenth should be celebratory and a few local events are making sure it is. The day should also inspire Americans not to forget to continue the quest for freedom for all, especially those who may not know or understand their rights.
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that the enslaved African Americans there were free. The day signifies the widespread liberation of the last enslaved people in the United States.
It is rightly considered a "Second Independence Day” for many, since the Declaration of Independence in 1776 did not apply to enslaved people. It also serves as a powerful reminder of the long, arduous struggle for freedom and equality for African Americans, highlighting the historical injustices of slavery and its enduring legacy, prompting continued reflection and action on issues of racial justice, equity, and civil rights in contemporary society.
Juneteenth is also a day for celebrating African American culture, achievements, and resilience, which are being whitewashed from many of the nation’s institutions by the current administration. It's a time for community gatherings, educational events, and reflections on the progress made and the work that still needs to be done.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s forced the nation to answer the question of how a nation that set forth its belief that “All men are created equal” could abide by a divided society and its two-tiered system of justice, commerce and democracy.
It led to monumental progress. President Lyndon Johnson pushed through The Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and ending legal segregation in public places and federally funded programs, and prohibited employment discrimination. But it did not make America color blind.
Structural racism and discrimination in the United States remains after the failure to fully implement its provisions of the Civil Rights Act. Legacies of slavery and the displacement of Native peoples persist. Examples include the Trump administration’s scrubbing of black history from institutions and schools nationwide.
Such actions continue efforts from Trump’s first term, including his ban on efforts to “inculcate” what he called “divisive concepts,” and purging of anything which even mentions diversity and/or inclusion. He targeted work such as the 1619 Project, a publication exploring the enduring impacts of racial slavery in the United States, which include impact on housing, incarceration, health care, and education. Trump also created the 1776 Commission, aimed at producing “patriotic education” that whitewashes actual history and understates the role racism played in shaping our political, economic, and legal systems.
Such purges can serve to prevent Americans from understanding that racism is less about individual blame, but is instead a system built and maintained through centuries of law, economics, policy, and violence. The attacks also deny the accomplishments of those who accomplished so much in the face of the challenges of racism.
Millions across the United States took to the streets for last weekend’s “No Kings” rally to demand the Trump administration keep its “hands off” democracy. One this day, it’s a good reminder that all history needs to be remembered, understood and celebrated.
