Juneteenth is a remembrance acknowledging the 1865 emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas — 3 years after slavery was abolished in the U.S. While the intent of Juneteenth was to dismantle systemic racism, it has not received general recognition among white folks. President Biden highlighted a history lesson in pronouncing Juneteenth a federal holiday June 17, 2020. Perhaps George Floyd’s life cut short in Minneapolis a month prior can be accredited with the impetus for Juneteenth’s national recognition, along with the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Race Massacre (also not covered in many history books).
Unfortunately, many Black and Brown cut-short lives have not merited as much notice as George Floyd’s murder by police. In a stinging report of Minneapolis police injustice this past week, Attorney General Merrick Garland laid bare the disturbing facts about racial profiling and police violence.
Lest one is tempted to berate Texas, Oklahoma, or Minnesota for ultra-racist behavior, the NAACP has issued a travel advisory to Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ individuals regarding Florida where it may be especially dangerous for them. Louisiana is another state where the NAACP is considering similar travel warnings.
Trauma from racial and gender injustice seemingly has no bounds. Complicating holiday festivities this weekend, gunfire took down a peaceful Juneteenth gathering in Willowbrook, Illinois, just as Father’s Day arrived. One person died, two individuals were cast into critical conditions, and 20 others were wounded.
What happened to everyone’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Are we teaching democracy in our public schools? I wonder about the children of those who assaulted democracy on January 6th. What messages did they take away from a parent’s violent behavior to subvert democracy? Too many innocent lives exist in a near-constant state of peril.
And yet, there are pearls.
Journalist Victor Luckerson’s 2023 publication, Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street, chronicles the race massacre in Oklahoma on June 1, 1921, and the community’s rise from literal ashes. Tulsa’s unfortunate legacy includes stories of white rioters burning nearly every Black business to the ground and destroying 1200 homes; most concerning, an estimated 300 individuals lost their lives. This once flourishing Black community struggled to rebuild, but encountered rejected insurance claims, property theft, and a later highway which removed shops and homes without fires. Still, rebuilding took place.
One descendant of a founding family of Black Wall Street, Regina Goodwin, became a state representative. In her State Senate run for office in 2015, Goodwin announced, “Some women get lost in the fire and some…are built from the fire.”
While we mourn the lives lost to injustice everywhere, we also celebrate the resilience that reigns in the form of post-traumatic growth.
Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz
195. How might you advance the cause of inclusive education — recognizing everyone’s history?
196. In what ways do you affirm the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL?
Pearls of Peace: A Family Psychologist’s Circle-of-Life Blog 
Beautiful, thoughtful post, Jan. Thank you.
LikeLike
Having grown up in Texas I have been observant of this day since early childhood when we learned about the reasons for the discrepancy between when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and when the word finally reached enslaved persons living in Texas. It was always a work-free day in my experience. Glad that the rest of the US has finally caught up and caught on. Now let’s all continue the struggle for true emancipation for all.
LikeLike
I am happy to hear that you knew the Juneteenth story in early childhood growing up in Texas! Let’s make sure that all children in every state learn this story.
LikeLike