I imagine that most folks reading this blog don't think much about Juneteenth. But the truth is that today June 19th is one of the most important days in U.S. History! This is the anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
I know there are those who feel that slavery is a part of American history that is behind us and we should move on, but I will always stand with those who say we must remember our history in order to ensure that we don't repeat it. Plus, it has only been in my lifetime that African-Americans have been given all the rights, we granted to all other humans! And we need only look around Southeast Huntsville to know that we still have a long way to go in erasing the stigma of years of slavery and segregation.
So in honor of Juneteenth, I lift up two thoughts. First, I remember and celebrate the day my school was desegregated. I was in fourth grade (so I think it 1969) when Jefferson Davis Elementary School welcomed its first black students. It happened quietly. Dallas, Texas was a smart business town and I suspect--like Atlanta--they knew that fights over desegregation would be bad business. So it was peaceful. And in the fall of that year, a small group of African-Americans sat down to learn with white students for the first time in Dallas. The girl I remember most is Ida Pearl Reynolds. I didn't know what to think of Ida Pearl at first, but we bonded when they decided to bus the class to the local Y and teach us how to swim. Ida Pearl and I were the only two too scared to swim in the deep end. So we stayed in the shallow end and got to know one another. I moved a couple of years later and I don't know what happened to Ida Pearl. But I can share that the last time I went to visit my old neighborhood, I noticed that my old school was no longer Jefferson Davis Elementary. Instead it is now named Barbara Jordan Elementary. Gotta love the irony!!!!
Second, I want to remind everyone that while slavery is still alive and well in this world (see the National Geographic article on 21st Century Slaves) and there are things we can do to work to eradicate it! Please take five or ten minutes today to do something to help end slavery in this world at Free the Slaves.
And have a blessed Juneteenth!
2 comments:
Racism is not instinctive - it is taught. When our son Steven was little (what, 4 years old maybe?), we took him to the closest YMCA to play on a basketball team. He was one of two white boys on the team, and was soon the only white boy. He was so excited when his grandmother came to visit and he showed her the team picture. He said, pointing to his lone white face in that picture to his grandmother, "that one is me!"
Good stuff.
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