I refuse to celebrate the 4th of July. I recognize it as a significant date in
American history. I understand why
people gather for cookouts, wave flags and meet at the ballpark of fireworks. It’s up there with hotdogs, apple pie and
baseball as things that define what it means to be a citizen of the county that
waves the red, white and blue.
I still refuse to celebrate that date. It would be a lie to do so. It denounces all that followed that day when
a group of men came together to make it official – we became a nation free from
the rule of England. My folks weren’t
free yet. I simply can’t force myself to
commemorate a day that fails to tell the rest of the story.
I celebrate my independence on June 19th. That’s the date set aside to remember the end
of slavery in America. It was on June
19, 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordan Granger, landed
at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved
were free to leave master’s rule. It was
two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
announced the freedom of slaves on January 1, 1863.
The Emancipation Proclamation had no impact on Texas due to
the small number of Union troops to enforce Lincoln’s Executive Order. With the surrender of General Lee in April of
1865, the arrival of General Granger and his troops were enough to overcome the
resistance in Texas.
That’s the day I celebrate independence. On that day General Granger read General
Order Number 3 to the people in Texas.
It began with:
"The people of Texas are
informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the
United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of
rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection
heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free
laborer."
Many slaves left before the order was
affirmed by their former masters’. With nowhere to go, they left embracing
their freedom. Some went North while others sought to find family members in
neighboring states. They fled to
Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Since
that day in June of 1865, people have paused to remember the struggles of their
descendants. The Juneteenth celebration
remained vital in Texas decades later, with former slaves and descendants
making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.
When Ralph Abernathy called people of all
races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington, D.C for
the Poor People March in 1968, many returned home and initiated Juneteenth
celebrations. On January 1, 1980, Juneteeth became an official state holiday in
Texas.
The Durham Juneenth celebration is organized
by Phyllis Coley, publisher of Spectacular Magazine and NC State Juneteenth
Director. Coley has been pressing state
legislators to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.
People will gather on Saturday to hear local
music, enjoy food and hear speeches. The
keynote speech will be delivered by Rev. William Barber II, president of the
North Carolina NAACP. Barber will talk about the importance of voter registration
and remind people to show up and vote during the fall elections.
The Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says
that life must be lived forwards but can only be understood backwards. The reality of a particular age may not
become apparent until it is drawing to a close. The meaning of that day in
Galveston, Texas was not fully understood by those who walked away from a life
of subjugation to embrace freedom. We
look back moved by their determination to find meaning beyond what kept them in
bondage.
It’s my Independence Day. I wave this flag of truth. Lest those who follow from behind forget, we
remind them on Juneteenth.
We free now.
_______________________________________________________________
Eighth Annual Durham Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: June 16, 1 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: CCB Plaza, downtown Durham
ADMISSION: Free
_______________________________________________________________
Saturday’s Juneteenth entertainment schedule:
1 p.m. Opening ceremony
1:15 p.m. King Ayoola
2:05 p.m. Tones of Harmony
2:40 p.m. Fierce Eclipse All Stars
3 p.m. Q.S. Bullock & Sacrifice
3:35 p.m. Solo acoustic guitar
4:05 p.m. AIDS awareness session
4:30 p.m. Jerome Waller & Anointed Praise
5 p.m. William Barber II, keynote address
5:30 p.m. DJ Kool
6:30 p.m. Models against domestic violence
6:50 p.m. Kamus
7:05 p.m. Reggie Pr1me
7:30 p.m. Yolanda Rabun
8:15 p.m. Johnny White & The Elite Band
9:05 p.m. Sybi
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