Juneteenth On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the declaration freeing all slaves with emancipation. At that time many slaves couldn’t read or write, and to learn was a crime masters would punish with beatings of great might, or even death could be their fate, so it was a bit late when slaves finally got the news that they were free, and could embrace liberty. The proclamation read that on January 1st 1863 all slaves of the confederacy shall be “thenceforward and forever free.” It was June 19th1865 when the news broke through that all slaves were free to do whatever they wanted to. The news had spread slowly from plantations in the south to the other states by word of mouth. It took over two years to reach the Lone Star State.
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So now all Black people celebrate Juneteenth as the day when they could say Free at last. Yet in all these years that have passed there are too many things that haven’t changed at all, and everybody must heed the call, for no people can be truly free while others are denied their liberty. © Copyright 2020 Victoria R. Crosby All Rights Reserved
British-born poet and writer Victoria Crosby has been Poet Laureate of the City of Glen Cove in New York for more than twenty-five years; her work has been published in magazines and newspapers as well as featured on radio shows. Now residing in Smoke Rise, Victoria will create a unique gift with a custom poem for an anniversary, engagement, wedding, birthday, retirement or any other special occasion. You can contact Victoria at poeticvic@aol.com.
