Juneteenth Editorials 2022

Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and a promise of a brighter morning to come. It is a day of profound weight and power that reminds us of our extraordinary capacity to heal, hope, and emerge from our most painful moments into a better version of ourselves.

What if we as Black people utilized Juneteenth each year to collectively recalibrate on “one single issue” like the Freedom to Vote Act, the George Floyd Act, or the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act. 

Right now, Black Americans are still chained to systems of financial bondage. We must think beyond Juneteenth to continue to find ways to access capital, which brings real freedom.

Juneteenth is many different things in my mind. It is a chance to recognize and celebrate true freedom in the United States. It is a chance to acknowledge past wrongs to create healing. It is a holiday to acknowledge that Black Americans had to fight to be seen as Americans.

This state and federal holiday represents a small piece of securing racial equity for Black Americans in every part of our nation.

Making Juneteenth an official holiday affords all our employees a chance to honor the immense contributions of Black and African Americans to the history and culture of our nation and region, and to further understand our nation’s history of racial injustice, and reaffirm our commitment to building a racially-just future.

More than just a day off for municipal employees, Juneteenth is a commemoration of breaking down barriers and opening up opportunity.

As we celebrate Juneteenth, I strive to keep the ancestors’ dreams of freedom, equity, and opportunity alive in my space of influence - public education.

While creating a national holiday to commemorate an event of significance, Congress ignored/denied the most important and fundamental right and protection available to African-Americans by failing to enact voter protections or justice in policing. 

While the Emancipation Proclamation that promised freedom to our ancestors still eludes us as their descendants and relatives, what is also true is that against all odds Black people have continued to find joy and hope amongst the despair.