Tomorrow is the first annual celebration of the newly created Federal holiday of Juneteenth. What is Juneteenth, you may ask? Well, let me tell you about it.
Juneteenth is the day that a Democratic President put a burr under the saddle of every racist in America who does not want blacks to be included in the national experience as full human beings, by allowing recognition for when whites improved themselves by no longer allowing themselves to lower others into slavery. Yes, Juneteenth marks when Major General Gordan Granger read General Order No. 3, enforcing the emancipation of all slaves in Texas, some of the last to be freed. The date was June 19th, 1865. The date was marked a year later, and has continued to be celebrated as Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day since.
For some unknowable reason, there are people who are against this as a holiday. Well, I think we can in fact know why they would be. But excuses such as “It conflicts with the national Independence Day,” or “we don’t need another summer holiday,” are ridiculous covers for the real reason. I don’t buy that crap for a moment. Why would anyone not want to celebrate such an event? Worse, why would anyone not want others to celebrate such a joyous occasion?
Our government is established on the foundations of The Bill of Rights, and on the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence establishes the idea that all men are created equal. I would venture that all women are too, but that is… No, that is totally related. But to stick to the point, it is an ideal that really needs to be fully extended, and in order for all to have justice under the government, and a fair shot in life, inclusion must be practiced. Failing that, if the government can belittle one, it can belittle anyone. Inclusion should be practiced for compassion alone, though, and not just to protect one’s own ass from falling victim to the treatment they have accepted for others.
I remember all the fuss over the celebration of Kwanza in the holiday season. The uproar against Juneteenth is no different. And any such disapproval will not be accepted within my realm. So, yes, I write this, and express my favor for the holiday, and for those who celebrate it. I express my desire to defend them and to include them. I also write it as a practice run for those times I may need to say it to anyone. Juneteenth is a national holiday that celebrates the maturity of the American ideal, and while it is not complete, it has taken a credible step that cost hundreds of thousands of lives for Freedom. To not celebrate it desecrates those who died to demand freedom for all.