What is the significance of Juneteenth?
(Please note there are sections of the blog that discuss the transatlantic slave trade and its impacts. This may be upsetting and emotionally triggering. Remember to care for yourself and seek help from a trusted friend or professional if needed.)
Happy Junteenth! In the US June 19th is celebrated as emancipation day, which is the day in 1865 when African Americans were freed from enslavement in the state of Texas, but is now acknowledged across the country. The word Juneteenth combines the words June and 19th and is officially the June National Independence Day, and also known as Black Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or Freedom Day. Although, African Americans were emancipated in 1863 when then US President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law, it took 2 years for union soldiers to bring the news to Texas.Once enslaved persons in Galveston heard the news, they began celebrating by singing, dancing, praying and fasting.
African Americans continued to celebrate Juneteenth over the years and in 1980, Texas declared June 19 a state holiday and in 2021, the US government made the day a national holiday. In the Caribbean, August 1 is Emancipation Day marking August 1, 1834 when the British colonial state ended slavery and African Caribbean persons were free. August 1 is a national holiday in most if not all countries in the region and is commemorated by reenacting the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in town squares at midnight.
Juneteenth has become a focus for many over the past two years as many individuals, communities, organizations, businesses, and governments have been forced to acknowledge the legacies created by the enslavement of up to 10 million African peoples throughout the 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade. This slave trade was a brutal and inhumane practice that used Christianity to justify the cruel treatment that captured, tortured, and stole Africans, made it illegal to speak our native languages, practice our cultures and faith, did not recognize our marriages, and stole our children and spouses.
170 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in the US, discussions for the government to pay financial retribution, or reparations, to the descendants of persons who were enslaved continue. Reparations could be cash payments, or in the form of scholarships, settlements, or other forms of systemic payment. Some estimates are that the British colonial state owes some $400 million in reparations. In the US, a taskforce studying reparations by the state submitted its semi-final report last week and recommended payments of $1.2 million per aggrieved person. With a budget deficit of $22.5 billion cash payments might not be possible; however, other forms of retribution might be. The payment of reparations is important because slave owners received financial compensation after Emancipation Day but African Americans and African Caribbean peoples did not.
Junteenth is an important day for Americans because it forces the country to face the destruction slavery caused to African Americans. As a federal holiday, it also encourages state governments to consider how best to redress the ongoing negative impacts of state organized human trafficking. The debate on the payment of reparations continues with no clear solution or consensus. Reparations are necessary to allow for healing from the trauma caused and to be able to chart a path forward based on equity and justice.
Thanks for reading my blog today. Please let me know if you agree with the case for reparations.
Michelle
CEO