Question about Juneteenth
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Anonymous
You make a lot of assertions here that many people would disagree with. So maybe we should stick with the things that unify us. |
Anonymous
Black woman here and I saw those same IG posts as the PP above. I though the cashapp thing was inappropriate. I do somewhat agree with the activities being slightly different for Black people vs. Everyone else. For everyone else it is perhaps a day to reflect on your commitment to equality and anti-racism and ways to support communities of color. For African-Americans its celebrating being free-ish. That said I would personally want to see white people at events. The key is the holiday should not be taken over by white people or commodified. |
Anonymous
Traditional bbq food and red food and drinks. I think strawberry pie is the traditional dessert. (Pretty sure I saw that on blackish of black AF, but google backs it up). |
Anonymous
I think it’s already been commodified. Flags. Stickers. Decor. Etc. The head of urban music or some such was on npr talking about Apple’s Juneteenth playlist. He pretty much said white people and corporations shouldn’t commodify the holiday and yet there he was representing Apple Music. I mean… |
Anonymous
But saying the holiday celebrates the official end of slavery is incorrect. It's celebrating us as Black people ALL being FREE. (sort of) |
Anonymous
LOL. You know white people in the South eat fried chicken and watermelon, too, right? We ate that my whole life growing up in Tennessee with other white people, and not as some sort of appropriation. Literally that is regional food. |
Anonymous
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Excellent article on this issue, from 2015:
Why Juneteenth Needs to be a National Holiday June 19, 1865, marks the day when news of emancipation and the Civil War's end finally reached the last group of slaves in America. It should be treated with the same respect we give Independence Day. https://www.vice.com/en/article/kwz9dx/why-juneteenth-needs-to-be-a-national-holiday-619 It really is as important as July 4th in our nation's history. When you view through that lens, I think it's actually very important for white Americans to actively celebrate this day. |
Anonymous
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As with many holidays, celebrations will range from the small and personal, to larger community activities, to even larger, possibly more commercialized events. To respond to the OP’s question, I think it’s great that your parents went to the event, and I’m sure that everyone was, indeed, welcome.
As a Black woman, I think it’s important for everyone to know our history, and to celebrate our freedoms, and I completely support racially and culturally inclusive events and experiences that do that. Personally, my feelings about the holiday are complicated. Juneteenth celebrates freedom, but it also highlights the unwillingness of many to acknowledge those freedoms until they were forced to do so. “Freedom” was also quickly followed by Jim Crow laws, the growth of groups like the KKK, and the use of law enforcement agencies to viciously enforce legal segregation, and, often, white supremacy. I spent the holiday quietly, reading “My Grandmother’s Hands — Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies” — a book intended primarily for Black and white American audiences, listening to music (Jon Batiste), sharing conversations and food with friends, and meditating. Next year, perhaps, I’ll do something on a larger scale. This year I wanted to acknowledge my ancestors and my accomplishments. I wanted to fill my own spaces and acknowledge my own needs. Next year, I may acknowledge and celebrate Juneteenth in completely different ways. While I would have been open to share these activities with anyone, my only caveat is that, at least for now, I’d resent being put in the role of “explaining” Juneteenth to someone who treated me as available for their own educational experience rather than for my own. tldr: It’s for everyone! |