So, I love Juneteenth. And I live in Texas, where it all began. I agree...the holiday has POTENTIAL and it should become something we can ALL celebrate, which is a milestone in the story of human freedom and liberty. What is there not to like here? It should be a celebration of freedom and liberty, in the same moral universe as July 4, and for Texans at least Cinco de Mayo (Mexico freedom from Spain...), and Texas independence.
However...since we have no social discourse today, we have no common values that can be appealed to universally, we don’t sing the National Anthem as if it belongs t ALL of us, sadly, but practically, I think Candace is right.
It becomes another day of grievance. And that is something to avoid.
All that said....a holiday is free game once it goes into effect.
I suppose it’s up to people like us to shout the real meaning from the mountain tops. This is a day to celebrate human emancipation! And ALL freedom-loving people should share in that celebration!
Yesterday morning, the early news on WBAP stated Juneteenth commemorated the day the UNION SOLDIERS ORDERED Texas slave owners to free their slaves.
My whole life, Juneteenth was the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas.
How’s THAT for changing history.
Course, it was the news person who can’t ALWAY pronounce TEXAS correctly. (I don’t know why she has a job if she can’t pronounce TEXAS correctly.)