How old were you when you learned about Juneteenth? I was in my 40s. Let’s talk about why that’s not okay.
Junteenth is a federal holiday in the USA (since 2021) that commemorates the emancipation of African-American slaves. On June 19, 1865, two years after the actual Emancipation Proclamation was issued, the news made its way to Texas. June 19th has since been adopted as a day of celebration within the Black community. (Check out the Wikipedia page for Juneteenth for the whole back story and to find further references.)
I can only imagine why I didn’t hear about Juneteenth until 2020, when we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and an uprising by the Black community when they were finally sick and tired of the ongoing injustices against them. With the Black Lives Matter movement in full swing, it makes sense that celebrations like Juneteenth would be made significant by media outlets. Apparently the Canadian media finally decided it would be an important topic to cover. I’d like to discuss the erasure of significant historical events in order to protect the dominant population, but now is not the time for that.
Today I want to mark Juneteenth and wish everyone celebrating a wonderful day!