“I view it as all three. I just learned about it recently. I really didn’t know anything about it. My mother, she would take us to all this stuff, so without our matriarchs here, we don’t have no instructions, so we need new leadership to just let us know about things. We should start putting signs up out in the community because a lot of us are very ignorant. It’s not that we’re dumb or stupid; we just lack some knowledge. I am 62, and I just learned about Juneteenth.”
“I think I view Juneteenth as a celebration for Black people. For one, to celebrate being Black, celebrate being free in this country. It really gives a space for us to celebrate our own independence, in a way. And how I use my Juneteenth is just to celebrate being Black and doing whatever I want to do.”
“Time for community, time for minority folk to get together, and others. Not trying to exclude anyone, but for us to just build on each other and love each other; at least this time needs to be celebrated like that.”
“I myself view Juneteenth as a reflection. I think, just kind of reflecting on where we came from on our side, where the other side is coming from, and just obviously focusing on where we want things to be. Carrying on the same spirit that started the movement toward Juneteenth and keeping and carrying that same spirit on to where we progress now and hopefully seeing that evolve.”
“When I think of Juneteenth, it’s more so just like a celebration because we see all the festivals and Black people gathering among each other and just celebrating our culture, our achievements, and being proud to be Black.”
“I view it as a celebration. It is our day to celebrate being Black, and that should continue on for every year to come.”
