Question about Juneteenth

[Anonymous]

My father is an old white dude who lives in a flyover state. He saw an ad for his town's Juneteenth event, touting food, music, and festivities, and it emphasized that everyone was welcome. He thought it sounded like fun and wanted to show his support, so he and my mother went to the event. He was surprised to see that only about 5% of attendees were white, and thought that maybe he'd crashed a party that no one really wanted him at. For context, he lives in a liberal college town that is fairly diverse (for the region).

I'm curious--do people see Juneteenth as truly a holiday for everyone to celebrate, or is that mostly just lip service, and he should have read between the lines that this is a holiday for Black Americans? If you are Black, would you be happy to see other races celebrating Juneteenth with you, or would you prefer this to be an event primarily for Black people to celebrate together?

[Anonymous]

Interested, too. I went to the one at Black Rock and it was mostly Black attendees, but everyone was so happy and welcoming. I did not feel like I was crashing anything.

[Anonymous]

I'm not black, but as it's a new holiday for most Americans, I suspect this will be worked out over time.

[Anonymous]

Juneteenth celebrates the official end of slavery in the US. It is an American holiday we should celebrate, regardless of skin tone.

[Anonymous]

If the ad for the celebration emphasized everyone was welcome, he should have felt welcome attending.

I think it would be culturally weird for white people to organize a town wide Juneteeth celebration, though. (I am white though so what do I know?)

[Anonymous]

I thought the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865 marked the official end of slavery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father is an old white dude who lives in a flyover state. He saw an ad for his town's Juneteenth event, touting food, music, and festivities, and it emphasized that everyone was welcome. He thought it sounded like fun and wanted to show his support, so he and my mother went to the event. He was surprised to see that only about 5% of attendees were white, and thought that maybe he'd crashed a party that no one really wanted him at. For context, he lives in a liberal college town that is fairly diverse (for the region).

I'm curious--do people see Juneteenth as truly a holiday for everyone to celebrate, or is that mostly just lip service, and he should have read between the lines that this is a holiday for Black Americans? If you are Black, would you be happy to see other races celebrating Juneteenth with you, or would you prefer this to be an event primarily for Black people to celebrate together?

It's a holiday for everyone. The fact that so few white people chose to come to the celebration says something about the white people, not the intentions of the people who planned and hosted the event.

[Anonymous]

Good for you dad that he went.

For me most holidays mean extra work, so I really appreciate the holidays where I can just observe the holiday and reflect on it without doing anything different. I'm happy Juneteenth is a holiday and as time passes I'm sure I'll figure out ways to be a more active participant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865 marked the official end of slavery.

The news that slavery had been ended took time to spread, particularly to the enslaved people themselves. Juneteenth celebrates the news reaching the last people. The tradition of celebrating on that day started as a local celebration in a part of Texas where people learned they were free on June 19th, and then spread and that date ended up being chosen for the National Celebration, probably in part because June is a great time for a celebration, while December is already pretty full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My father is an old white dude who lives in a flyover state. He saw an ad for his town's Juneteenth event, touting food, music, and festivities, and it emphasized that everyone was welcome. He thought it sounded like fun and wanted to show his support, so he and my mother went to the event. He was surprised to see that only about 5% of attendees were white, and thought that maybe he'd crashed a party that no one really wanted him at. For context, he lives in a liberal college town that is fairly diverse (for the region).

I'm curious--do people see Juneteenth as truly a holiday for everyone to celebrate, or is that mostly just lip service, and he should have read between the lines that this is a holiday for Black Americans? If you are Black, would you be happy to see other races celebrating Juneteenth with you, or would you prefer this to be an event primarily for Black people to celebrate together?

It's a holiday for everyone. The fact that so few white people chose to come to the celebration says something about the white people, not the intentions of the people who planned and hosted the event.

No it doesn't. I think of Juneteenth as a family-oriented holiday, with a picnic or backyard bbq. I grew up in Texas. Not going to a public event doesn't say anything about anyone. Nor does going.

Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

In the beginning, I was happy to see white people at Juneteenth events. I took it as a sign that the country was heading in the right direction, as Juneteenth could begin a dialogue (or at least an awareness) of racial issues. Then came all the pushback about Critical Race Theory and all the state legislation that set us back decades. And that was followed by the crap that Walmart pulled with the ice cream, Dollar Tree with the plates, the Children's Museum with the watermelon salad, the t-shirt companies with white models wearing "My Ancestors Weren't Free..." shirts.

Now when I see white people at the events, a part of me wonders if they're there sincerely or as part of cultural appropriation.

[Anonymous]

Oh my gosh, I would be thrilled to see white people at a Juneteenth celebration! I can’t imagine anyone would be offended that white people choose to celebrate the end of slavery.


-Black woman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Juneteenth celebrates the official end of slavery in the US. It is an American holiday we should celebrate, regardless of skin tone.

No it doesn't. Please read up on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the beginning, I was happy to see white people at Juneteenth events. I took it as a sign that the country was heading in the right direction, as Juneteenth could begin a dialogue (or at least an awareness) of racial issues. Then came all the pushback about Critical Race Theory and all the state legislation that set us back decades. And that was followed by the crap that Walmart pulled with the ice cream, Dollar Tree with the plates, the Children's Museum with the watermelon salad, the t-shirt companies with white models wearing "My Ancestors Weren't Free..." shirts.

Now when I see white people at the events, a part of me wonders if they're there sincerely or as part of cultural appropriation.

Hmm…I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s a stretch to call white people attending Juneteenth events is cultural appropriation.

[Anonymous]

White person here. I am torn, and it appears my Black friends are as well. Are we welcome? Is it happy for all of us, or should white people be considering it a more solemn occasion? One of my friends says white people should consider it a day for reflection and atonement. Others think it should be a happy celebration for all. There's no one right answer here, I think.

I didn't attend any celebration, but I did purchase lots from Black-owned businesses.