JUNETEENTH

Celebrating Unity Of Purpose In An Era Of Darkness

BY SARAH M. BILLUPS, MSW, LCSW, ACSW

JUNETEENTH is the nationally recognized African American Independence Day. It is the celebration of the last recognized day of slavery in America. June 19, 1865 is heralded as the beginning of our real freedom. General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to find that blacks people were still being held in captivity, even though they had been free for two years. He told them that they were free, and had the backup of a full battalion of soldiers to enforce his words. When the black people realized that they were free, they dropped everything right where it was, and ran out into the streets. There were great celebrations, great jubilation, as they tasted freedom for the first time. Many of them took off, trying to find family members who had been sold away. JUNETEENTH is symbolic of that day, and celebrates the end of a legacy of slavery imposed upon our ancestors. It is incumbent upon us to recognize and celebrate this day. We are linked by the American Black Diaspora, a by-product of slavery in America. This makes us unknown relatives, and the blood of our stolen and sold ancestors has deemed it so.

JUNETEENTH represents the official end of the brutal practice of slavery. I wish I could say “…and they lived happily ever after…”, but unfortunately I cannot. It was after this time that we had the birth of the KKK;, an evolving police force; black codes; death, murder, and destruction of multiple black communities by angry, jealous, white mobs; bombs dropped on Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, and an unknown number of black men, women, and children murdered; the horrendous “Devil”s Punchbowl” event in Mississippi; inhumane test

experiments on unknowing black men to spread disease throughout the communities; The Civil Rights Struggle, Black Lives Matter, borne out of the death of 16 year old Trayvon Martin; massacre of the ‘Emanuel 9’, nine church members by a white nationalist, who ACTUALLY sat in the service with them first; the unbelievable murder of George Floyd in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, on video, by a uniformed, on-duty police officer.

And here we are...It is not a fairy tale, but it is some of our story. The good and the bad.

JUNETEENTH is a time for us to recognize and celebrate all of the cultural links which define us. In spite of all of the bad times which we have experienced in this Country, we have managed to hold on to some of our cultural links, throughout the years. We have celebrated by cooking the same foods from State to State, wherever you find us. Collard greens, candied yams, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie, fried or barbecued chicken wings, etc. You know the list. Just as the Italians are defined by marvelous pastas, and desserts, and the Irish are known for their corned beef, we are known for specific foods also. The way we dress, sing, dance, and socialize are also cultural.

One of the most important links for us as a people is Unity Of Purpose. When we celebrate JUNETEENTH, we give homage to our ancestors, and the things which they passed down to us through the centuries of enslavement. We celebrate the shared history, the wonderful stories passed down from generations which make us laugh. Let us celebrate the wisdom and brilliance of stories such as the “Brer Rabbit…Brer Fox’’ stories. The slaves could tell those stories around the slave owners, and they never knew they were the topic!!!

Many of those are lost now, because they were passed down by word of mouth, but the memories linger on. The laughter of friends and family gathering together, enjoying each other’s company without the suppressive eye of the whites. When our need was the greatest, so was our unity. We understood that we needed each other.

As we celebrate our culture, let us keep a watchful eye. We are living in an upside down world right now, where lies are an accepted truth by a large segment of our population, and they are making negative, backwards steps because of the BIG LIE,… AND, because of our voter turnout in the last election. We as a people must take this threat seriously. Make note of the people involved so that you can make an informed vote at election time. This movement which we are witnessing in disbelief, is not about being Democrat or Republican. THIS IS ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY… This is one of the darkest, most dangerous times in our Nation’s history. The threat that it presents for us as a people, is so real, it is almost tangible. Racial hatred against multiple groups of color have surged to the forefront in America.

It is a waste of time attempting to appeal to the conscience of the people who are busy changing laws, and suppressing the vote. Apparently, they have no conscience, and have made an oath to autocracy, power and greed. Deception is their tool, and we must be aware of it. We have demonstrated than we can work together, and vote as a block when it was necessary. Let us not lose that unity of purpose, as we face what is coming in 2022. It is going to be a dogfight, and we must be ready. Your VOTE is your VOICE. If we want to honor our ancestors,and have a voice in changing history, then we MUST VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION, LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL.

JUNETEENTH encourages community growth, especially with our youth. Our youth are our future, and understanding their history is mandatory. It defines who they are, and hopefully will inspire them to keep the vision of our ancestors strong. Getting a good education, going to college or learning a trade

JUNETEENTH is a time for us to recognize and celebrate all of the cultural links which define us. In spite of all of the bad times which we have experienced in this Country, we have managed to hold on to some of our cultural links, throughout the years.