Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 6-18-21

Juneteenth
Senate Unanimously Approves A Bill To Make Juneteenth A Public Holiday
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the United States, a legal public holiday.
The holiday is celebrated on June 19, and it began in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they had been freed under the Eman- cipation Proclamation.
President Abraham Lincoln had signed the proclamation outlawing slavery years earlier, but it was not until 1865 that those in bondage in Texas were freed.
The measure is expected to be approved by the Dem- ocratic-led House of Repre-
sentatives as well, but the timing is unclear.
"Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement, "but we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipa- tion Proclamation and our Constitution."
The recognition of June- teenth as a legal holiday comes amid a broader na- tional reckoning on race and the racism that helped shape America.
Academic calls to more critically examine the lens through which race has
molded public life, including in economics and the justice system, have prompted backlash by some Republi- can lawmakers who say that viewpoint unfairly villainizes white people and overstates the extent to which racism is foundational to American society.
Republican legislation to limit teaching a historically accurate picture of U. S. his- tory in public institutions has advanced in some half a dozen states. Teachers have warned that these efforts limit their ability to engage critically with their students at a time when much of the national conversation re- volves around issues stem- ming from race.
The Historical Legacy Of Juneteenth
On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and pri- vate homes all across the coun- try awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were an- swered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were de- clared legally free. Union sol- diers, many of whom were Black, marched onto planta- tions and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclama- tion spreading the news of free- dom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.
But not everyone in Con- federate territory would imme- diately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclama- tion was made effective in 1863, it could not be imple- mented in places still under Confederate control. As a re- sult, in the westernmost Con- federate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later.
Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black
people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "June- teenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.
The post-emancipation pe- riod known as Reconstruc- tion (1865-1877) marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Formerly enslaved peo- ple immediately sought to re- unify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation and even sue slaveholders for com- pensation. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a genera- tion out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country.
Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long cele- brated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.
The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncer- tain times. The National Mu- seum of African American History and Culture is a com- munity space where this spirit of hope lives on. A place where historical events like June- teenth are shared and new sto- ries with equal urgency are told.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021