My ancestors were not free on July 4, 1776, when European colonizers marked nationhood – a celebration of their freedom from Great Britain. Yes, I believe that we (Black Americans) should celebrate Juneteenth. It is our Independence Day.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but it didn’t instantly free any enslaved people. The proclamation only applied to places under Confederate control and not to slave-holding border states or rebel areas already under Union control. After the Civil War ended in the spring of 1865, Union officer, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to inform Texans that all enslaved people in the state were free. He marched into Texas with about 2,000 troops, two months after General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy surrendered to Union forces at Appomattox, Virginia. That December, slavery in America was formally abolished with the adoption of the 13th Amendment.
The next year freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of “Jubilee Day” on June 19. In the ensuing decades, Juneteenth commemorations featured music, barbecues, prayer services and other activities, and as Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country the Juneteenth tradition spread.
We are not celebrating slavery when we celebrate Juneteenth, we are celebrating liberation from slavery – new freedom.
Just as…
The British colonies were not celebrating British rule nor the American Revolution on July 4th, they were celebrating the promise of an independent nation – new freedom.
A high school graduation isn’t a celebration of high school, it is a celebration of the completion of high school and the possibilities of the next chapter of life – new freedom.
When we throw retirement parties we aren’t celebrating the job, we are celebrating the end of work and the opportunities to engage in different endeavors – new freedom.
Have you researched Project 2025? June 19, 2024, is increasing its resemblance to June 19, 1924, as we see our individual freedoms repealed and the multiple calculated threats to our democracy.
Social work is political!!
Black history is American history.
VOTE knowing that local elections are just as important as the presidential election. Keep the land of the free FREE!
Nicki Sanders, MSW, is committed to career development, professional development, and organizational development. As Founder and CEO of Nicki Sanders Leadership Consulting, her mission is simple – to eliminate toxic workplaces by developing skilled, empathetic, and goal-oriented leaders who have the vision, support, and resources to create a culture where business prospers, and employees thrive individually and collectively. Nicki supports high-performing women of color in social work leadership in developing careers that feed their hearts, minds, and wallets. She has an extensive background in nonprofit management leading high-functioning, multi-disciplinary teams, volunteer recruitment and retention, and social impact programming. Nicki is an accomplished professor, coach, trainer, and group facilitator who has combined her gift for authentic relationships, Master of Social Work degree, and over 20 years of diverse work experience to create a life and career aligned with her values and purpose. She is a lover of nature, cupcakes, travel, and 80’s hip hop and R&B music.
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