Juneteenth 2020

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." — Desmond Tutu

 

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

 

This year will mark 155 years since the original Juneteenth. And while it has been more than a century since enslaved people were freed, some Black Americans are still not given the same freedoms awarded to citizens of other races. While we commemorate the Black community and all they have achieved and overcome, it's also important to remember more work is to be done.

 

Every year we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one defines the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. We all require and want respect, man or woman, regardless of race or the color of our skin. It is our basic human right.