Dear Editor,

Racial tension continues to dominate post-slavery societies in the Americas a century and a half after the abolition of slavery.

In many spaces in the United States of America a racist and calculated campaign is currently being waged to eraser the history, achievements, and culture of African Americans. The constant attack on the black culture reminds us that the struggle concerning civil rights is far from over. The war on the black culture should serve as a catalyst for succeeding generations regarding their awesome responsibility to push back on the divisive counter culture.

Juneteenth is, therefore, the prefect springboard to mobilise that next generation of freedom and civil rights advocates to ensure that the gains made are not eroded. Juneteenth should not be viewed as only a federal holiday, the day should be seen as a rally cry for African Americans to think about the meaning of freedom as well as the hefty price that was extracted for that. Juneteenth must be interrogated as that reflective point in the nation’s history as well serve as a site for political knowledge and expediency, especially on the eve of another presidential election.

Juneteenth should remind the black community that now is the time to register to vote. There is no better time for African Americans to engage or perhaps re-engage with the political process, and this undoubtedly has implications for generations to come. Freedoms fought for should never be taken for granted.

Unfortunately, too many African Americans are complacent as it relates to their history. This attitude of complacency serves the agenda of the oppressors and those oppressive laws which are meant to curtail the progress of people of colour. Juneteenth also has important lessons and significance for those of us with black skin living outside the United States. The day offers an opportunity for reflection on our journey of enslavement and colonisation.

What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth, a blend of the words June and nineteenth, honours the end of slavery in the United States of America. Juneteenth takes place on June 19 every year and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Specifically, it commemorates the day (June 19th, 1865) that Union soldiers finally made it to Galveston, Texas, to tell enslaved people that the war was over and they were now free. It does not commemorate then President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official US law on January 1, 1863, but was not fully implemented to all until the order was read to enslaved people all the way in Texas two-and-a-half years later.

Many plantation owners held enslaved people captive long after the proclamation or intentionally fled westward to avoid approaching Union forces who would inform them of their free status. Juneteenth is the 12th federal holiday in the United States of America. President Joe Biden signed the legislation in 2021. Juneteenth gives a national voice to the voiceless both past and present and represents courage, bravery, resistance, and resilience.

Following the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police in May 2020, thousands of people around the United States poured on to the streets in protest. The activism and advocacy surrounding Floyd’s murder became a rallying cry for legislative change across the United States of America, effectively re-energising the Black Lives Matter movement. Democrats in the Congress responded by unveiling sweeping legislation, targeting misconduct and racial discrimination by the police.

Any observance of Juneteenth is incomplete without paying tribute to Albert Ely Edwards who is widely referred to as the father of Juneteenth. Born on March 19, 1937, Edwards dedicated his political career to championing black causes, such as bringing attention to the significance of Juneteenth to all Americans. In an effort to have the US Congress officially recognise the day as a federal holiday, Edwards collaborated with state legislative bodies around the country to get the law passed at the state level over many decades. Edwards passed away April 2020 at the age of 83.

The original observances of Juneteenth included prayer meetings, singing spirituals, and wearing new clothes as a way of representing the newfound freedom. Juneteenth is typically commemorated with prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings, picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.

As we observe Juneteenth we must be mindful that the day reinforces that freedom and racial equality have always been a hard-fought battle for black Americans, a battle that is ongoing.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com