Juneteenth: More Than A Holiday

Today is the official observance of June 19, 1865 , the day that enslaved people of Galveston, TX learned of their freedom from slavery. As I listen to my Zeta Phi Beta Soror, Miss Opal Lee share her 96 year journey on this earth, I am in awe at her enthusiasm for the very soul of our nation - one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Soror Lee worked to gather over 500,000 signatures in her quest to get this day recognized as a federal holiday and is known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”. Her zest for equity, equality and inclusion is an inspiration to me. She said something so powerful that I just have to share it, “If we can teach people to hate, then we can teach people to love”. I pose the question, are we really free if we still have individuals being judged by the color of their skin, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other dimension of diversity? The celebration of Juneteenth and a call to action for everyone to recognize the need to celebrate the freeing of black people from slavery on a global scale. 

Freedom

What does the term freedom mean to each of us? What have we as a human race determined freedom to mean and why is it in peril today? Freedom to me means the ability to live my life to the fullest without the boundaries and oppression of someone else’s definition of who they, being society has stated I should be. The freedom to choose my “heroes” and “she-roe’s” based upon my personal beliefs. While we must cling to God moral values, I believe freedom grants us the right to challenge society when it goes too far left or right. Freedom is everything to me. The air I breathe; the ability to travel and learn about different cultures from across the globe. The openness to accept the ideas that are different from my own, and give pause to understand why it’s important to embrace differences as an opportunity to grow, rather than stifle them. Freedom isn’t free and has been paved by those who have given their very lives for us to enjoy. On Juneteenth remember the strange fruit of our dark past, think about the  current gun violence that rocks our nation and knows no boundaries. Let us desire to truly embrace our freedom and let not our enemies defeat, destroy or defraud us of our birthright as African Heritage Americans. 

The Road Ahead

Let us strive to embrace our humanity and strive for better in all that we do. For truly we’ve the right to expect more from humanity than we receive today. I long for the day when the “Talk” in black households will be unnecessary. I long for the day that men and women are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin, their socioeconomic background or their sexual orientation. When pronouns are not seen as another element to further divide us, but as a means for self-expression so that we can see and appreciate another person for who they feel they truly are. 

My Concern

My overwhelming concern is that we as a nation won’t get to the promise land in my lifetime.

|The views expressed in this article are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer. |