Juneteenth’s Legacy
President Biden signed into law Juneteenth, the celebration of when the enslaved were informed that they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed in 1863. In some Southern states, slavery continued until June 19, 1865. That was the day that Juneteenth was born.
Nearly five hundred years later, the descendants of the enslaved are still fighting for freedom. Black men, women, and children are gunned down by trigger-happy police officers. Educational disparities continue in our nation’s schools. Black communities continue to suffer from higher rates of poverty, homelessness, joblessness, and crime. For every step forward African Americans make, the dominant society continues to push us backward.
There are two areas under attack as African Americans commemorate Juneteenth — voting laws and Critical Race Theory. Across several Republican-led states, legislators are passing or planning to pass laws making it harder for poor people and people of color to vote. Republicans, still smarting from a decisive loss in the 2020 election, have decided to go back to their racist playbook and make it harder for people to vote. Instead of trying to convince people that they’re the better candidate, Republicans simply want to limit the number of people who can vote.
Voting rights are in jeopardy. President Biden wants the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to pass in Congress. Democrats are behind the bill, but most Republicans are not. That’s no surprise. Mitch McConnell has stated he will block any legislation that Biden wants to be passed. I still don’t understand how this can be done since both the House and the Senate are controlled by the Democrats. But, it’s happening.
In addition to the voter suppression laws being created, African Americans and other people of color have to worry about the history of racism in this country also being suppressed. Critical Race Theory, CRT, has become the focus of attention in Congress and across the country. From town halls to the Senate floor, there is much-heated debate over the discussion of racism in America. Republicans, of course, are against teaching CRT in schools. Many Republican governors have mandated that CRT is not taught in their state’s schools.
Many White Americans who are against Critical Race Theory argue that it will divide people into two categories — the oppressed and the oppressors. White parents don’t want their children informed about how their ancestors brutalized and persecuted African Americans. These parents don’t want their children to “feel ashamed about being White.” I find this ironic since White people have made African Americans feel ashamed about being Black for hundreds of years.
So, as Juneteenth looms, African Americans and other people of color must reckon with a country that wants to take away their voting rights and hide the history of hate in this country. America runs on money and systemic racism. Most of the money came from the buying and selling of enslaved Africans whose labor built the foundation of America. White privilege is a product of systemic racism and exists in every facet of daily life.
When African Americans and other people of color gain a piece of the American pie, White America makes it harder to obtain the ingredients. When will this country learn from its past? This country could be truly great if tolerance and respect were a part of the equation. Yet, as my people celebrate Juneteenth, we’re reminded that our freedom is constantly under threat.
