“When I think of Juneteenth, I really think of it as a historical milestone of really just the great tragedy, and I think of enslavement. I think even though Juneteenth is about going back, making sure everyone knew the people were free, it’s a milestone that should definitely be acknowledged as we’re in our journey in this country to see everyone’s humanity—particularly Black people, stolen people brought to stolen land. So, I just don’t like it to sit there, because I know throughout this human tragedy of enslaving people—at least Africans—they’ve been doing it from the beginning. Whether it is running, jumping off the ship, or fighting, they are doing whatever they needed to do for the liberation. So, Juneteenth, to me, is just part of the journey of liberation.”
“I don’t really know, but I do know that it has to do with the abolition of slavery and that it is recognized in school.”
“Juneteenth, to me, is a remembrance of the history before things got super bad in America. I believe that it’s a time when we can sit down together and think of things before slavery and before the hardships that happened in America.”
“It reminds me of the past. I didn’t hear about Juneteenth until I went up to the prison, and the prison was doing Juneteenth. That’s how I got hip to it. And because I’m Black, and I really like being Black, I like to celebrate that, because I think Black people tend to forget how powerful we are. We listen to the noise, and we own it. What we need to start doing is realizing how important we really are. Because think about it—all this racism is based on jealousy. You know you want to tan and get Black like me, you want to fill yourself with all this stuff to get big lips and a big butt, but tell me my butt is bad. We need to get back to working together, regardless of what color—light skin, Black, white, or pink—because we are all together. But Juneteenth, to me, is letting me know how powerful I am.”
“To look back at the suffering that our forefathers endured during the time of slavery—it’s a remembrance and an honoring of their sacrifices. It is something that should be a state holiday, which it is, and it should be celebrated by everybody.”
“To look back at the suffering that our forefathers endured during the time of slavery—it’s a remembrance and an honoring of their sacrifices. It is something that should be a state holiday, which it is, and it should be celebrated by everybody.”
