Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated in the U.S., and it’s a day when people celebrate the end of slavery and a time where America unites for one common thing.
On June 19th, 1865, the African American slaves of Galveston, Texas, were told that they were free. Which was supposed to be issued about 2 and a half years earlier on January 1st, 1863. But this wasn’t the end of inequality and injustice; it was one of the many conflicts of the country.
On June 17th 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth an official holiday. Juneteenth is where America can unite, but it is at risk of failing to be a holiday to unite everyone. People often ignore or politicize dates. People also fear that corporations will try to trademark the word “Juneteenth,” which would decrease the value of this celebration and justice.
Many things have changed since 1865. Back in the day, people fought to attempt to reimpose slavery. Nowadays people oppose new forms of violence. This has caused the cost of thousands of lives each year; it destroys families, and prevents relationships from growing and trust in others.
The killing of a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd, who was suffocated by the Minneapolis Police, spiked the attention of many people. In May 2020, thousands of people banded together to protest in the name of George Floyd and many others. Tremaine Jasper, a business owner in Phoenix, Arizona, says, “George Floyd protests against police brutality brought awareness to Juneteenth because there were people of all races learning about its significance for the first time following a public push to self-educate and learn more about Black history, culture and injustices.”
Mark Anthony Neal, an African American scholar who studies at Duke University, says, “I think Juneteenth feels a little different now… It’s an opportunity for folks to kind of catch their breath about what has been this incredible pace of change and shifting that we’ve seen.”
Juneteenth is not only about slavery and the historical past, but it’s about how much a community can do with a push. People should celebrate the hard work of fighting off the negative impacts in their lives.
Sites:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1688329731295x175884276919179300/Opinion%20_%20Juneteenth%20is%20the%20other%20half%20of%20the%20Fourth%20of%20July%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
–https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html
–https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-alabama-education-tennessee-1ac1686aedc00453fe2b90545f1a2db8#
On June 19th, 1865, the African American slaves of Galveston, Texas, were told that they were free. Which was supposed to be issued about 2 and a half years earlier on January 1st, 1863. But this wasn’t the end of inequality and injustice; it was one of the many conflicts of the country.
On June 17th 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth an official holiday. Juneteenth is where America can unite, but it is at risk of failing to be a holiday to unite everyone. People often ignore or politicize dates. People also fear that corporations will try to trademark the word “Juneteenth,” which would decrease the value of this celebration and justice.
Many things have changed since 1865. Back in the day, people fought to attempt to reimpose slavery. Nowadays people oppose new forms of violence. This has caused the cost of thousands of lives each year; it destroys families, and prevents relationships from growing and trust in others.
The killing of a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd, who was suffocated by the Minneapolis Police, spiked the attention of many people. In May 2020, thousands of people banded together to protest in the name of George Floyd and many others. Tremaine Jasper, a business owner in Phoenix, Arizona, says, “George Floyd protests against police brutality brought awareness to Juneteenth because there were people of all races learning about its significance for the first time following a public push to self-educate and learn more about Black history, culture and injustices.”
Mark Anthony Neal, an African American scholar who studies at Duke University, says, “I think Juneteenth feels a little different now… It’s an opportunity for folks to kind of catch their breath about what has been this incredible pace of change and shifting that we’ve seen.”
Juneteenth is not only about slavery and the historical past, but it’s about how much a community can do with a push. People should celebrate the hard work of fighting off the negative impacts in their lives.
Sites:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1688329731295x175884276919179300/Opinion%20_%20Juneteenth%20is%20the%20other%20half%20of%20the%20Fourth%20of%20July%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
–https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html
–https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-alabama-education-tennessee-1ac1686aedc00453fe2b90545f1a2db8#
