Juneteenth

Today we celebrate our most recent national holiday that commemorates freedom. Juneteenth was formally recognized as a national holiday on June 19th, 2021, but it’s been a day of celebration and reflection since the initial anniversary of the emancipation order that reached Texas on June 19th,1865. Early celebrations were organized by African American churches as congregational life was one of the few liberties afforded under slavery. African American churches continued to keep the Juneteenth celebration alive as they provided a vital hub for communal life during Reconstruction. Juneteenth has had its iterations, but it isn’t a new celebration. Juneteenth has a rich heritage for those of African descent. It should provide a rich heritage for us all.

Empathy is hard to find these days. Most everything is polarized and politicized, and we’ve been conditioned to believe that defending our views is a higher value than understanding another’s. We’ve created a difficult cultural climate to navigate. I say “we” because we’re all complicit on some level. The result is a cultural logjam that stifles productive dialogue. Listening gives us much needed perspective and an opportunity to learn.

Juneteenth has gone under the radar of some Americans until recently. I will acknowledge my personal awareness wasn’t until a few years ago. Are there reasons beyond the true significance of the holiday as to the widespread acknowledgment of Juneteenth? Maybe. But what does that have to do with the celebration and remembrance of an event that should be celebrated and remembered?  

We should all agree that slavery was and is an evil institution and the unjust confinement of any human is contrary to God’s will. We can’t change the past but nor should we forget it. Hampton Roads, where I currently live, was the initial portal by which slavery spread across this country and ground zero for the residual waves that still reverberate today. We can’t live in the past but to deny the past’s impact on the present seems foolish. Poverty, illiteracy, and incarceration rates are interconnected, and the highest rates often correlate with minority neighborhoods. For centuries, systemic injustice created different rules that made life much harder for minorities to advance.

There is much work to be done, but the opportunity gets me so excited! I have the wonderful experience of being connected to a diverse community pursuing Jesus, the table has been set for us to value one another’s perspectives and learn.  Jesus gives us common ground.

June 19th, 1865 wasn’t that long ago. Imagine being an enslaved person in Galveston, TX the day Major General Gordon Granger arrived executing the decree of freedom. I take freedom for granted. I can’t fathom the injustice of enslavement, but it was a reality for many. It’s a reality for many today.

Juneteenth is fundamentally a celebration of freedom. How can any Jesus follower not celebrate at the remembrance of those final slaves being set free? Celebration is good for the soul. Celebration reminds us of where God has brought us from. Don’t let the noise drown out an important opportunity to celebrate something godly and righteous.

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28