Otterites, hope you don’t mind a little bonus content on this fine June day. I don’t mean to crush Francis’ mojo here or anything so please give his post a read. Good stuff on how the modern world is molded on a battlefield in Belgium in 1815.
Today is also the first official federal observance of Juneteenth, which will be observed on June 19th going forward. Juneteenth is an important celebration, commemorating the end of slavery in the South.
Emancipation came slowly, generally following Union military success in the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation could only be enforced where the Union armies controlled Southern territory after all. Texas, being essentially the most remote Confederate state, was pretty much last to get the news. General Gordon Granger of the occupying Union army issued an official proclamation on June 19th, 1865, informing Texas that slavery was over, and all were now “forever free”. Celebrations of the anniversary began the very next year, and continued throughout the South, and then later, after the Black Diaspora, spreading to all parts of the country.
Ol’ Martin here has long felt that Dr. King Day, while important, was only a starting point. Something else was needed. Morphing Dr. King Day into Civil Rights Day, or some kind of separate observance. Juneteenth fits the bill, and I’m excited for the celebration. We need to be mindful of the struggle for equality, and Juneteenth provides an uplifting celebration for equality and togetherness. I’m hopeful, as I know Francis and Robert are, that Juneteenth leads us to bring back that melting pot, a great American stew on that stove of unity, instead of today’s sifter, separating us and spreading blame and hate.
Lift every voice, sing an uplifting song, drink a strawberry soda, and let’s hope that down the road Juneteenth becomes commercialized with mattress sales and new car discounts. Then we’ll know for sure that it is part of our fabric. It needs to be.
Photo is Juneteenth, 1900, and is part of the collection of the Austin History Center, Austin, Texas. It is in the public domain.
