All Americans Should Know What Juneteeth is About

By Shandrea Daniel

Human Slavery shamefully paved the foundation for the United States to be one of the greatest capitalistic democracies in the world. The billions generated today can be directly linked to the work of African Slaves and other minority groups in servitude. Global leadership and power have served the United States since the foundation of our country due to enslavement and mass production of cotton. There has always been a long trend of freedom fighting since the US fought for Independence and won, signifying the celebration of July 4, 1776. Slavery was legal and continued for Black and other minorities within the US after the Civil War and the 13th Amendment in 1865. Throughout the late 1790s and 1800s, slavery wasn't over, and multiple laws were put into place to hinder Black people from owning land, homes, and proper schooling. It was illegal to teach an enslaved human to read and write. The demonstrated intent to stifle Black progress was widely acceptable in violent efforts, such as the race massacres in cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma or the land stealing of specific areas within Manhattan Beach from the Bruce family. 

While there was little progress for Black Americans being "freed," the United States made several significant milestones and symbols of freedom in Washington DC and all over the country; most with free labor and those who remained in slavery due to lack of information and knowledge on new rights provided to them and their family. The US was able to enhance democracy with the construction of the White House (designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban) but built by enslaved humans. The Capitol Building, several roads and universities were all made by enslaved humans. The news of freedom traveled slowly, and Juneteenth was vital for humans still in slavery, specifically in the Galveston city of Texas. The federal holiday has been essential in Galveston since the 1800s because it was one of the last places enslaved humans learned of their freedom. 

Juneteenth as a national holiday in 2021 is a big step by the United States, and it is a beautiful gesture to mending wounds and building a path to acknowledgement and truth. This national holiday notion can open doors for schools to make a substantial choice of where they stand to spotlight the US's dark past of enslaving human beings in more than just one paragraph or chapter in most history textbooks. Collective efforts to educate others on this critical holiday will be a significant way for schools to introduce an anti-racist curriculum for young scholars if they choose to do so. We all must know why this holiday now exists and how to move forward with proper action to ensure slavery never happens to any human ever again. 

There is a long road ahead, but allyship can begin now, and for those individuals who don't know what to do with our history or how to move forward or celebrate Juneteenth; I encourage you to make an impact within your communities, working environments, friends, and families to discuss the dark history of the US's past and how you want to be a catalyst to bring light to ending systematic racism moving forward. One simple but powerful way to do that is by sharing Speak UP's Racial Equity Project with your networks, friends, and family and have a change agent dialogue to progress all people within our beautiful land of the free and home of the brave. 

Source: https://www.axios.com/juneteenth-slavery-business-built-us-1d1b522c-f1ee-404a-aaf4-e3c9185952c4.html