Why I Believe That Juneteenth Is Important

Today is Juneteenth and all day I’ve been debating some of my friends who say Juneteenth is not worth celebrating. Main reason being, that we should have never been enslaved in the first place. A point I used to have myself. I actually used to share the same opinions and views as the friends Ive been debating all morning. But now I see things differently and its not just because we have a Black president ( for real this time ).
I see things differently now because I now realize the power or information and knowledge. Speaking of which, if youre not all the way sure what Juneteenth is about, I invite you to educate your self http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteeth ...

I think what alot of people fail to realize, is that when Black people were enslaved in America, we were not only deprived of our freedom, in the sense that we had no rights, no options, forced to work, we had masters, we were considered sub-human. But the biggest thing our then masters wanted to deny us was education and information. The less you know as a person, the easier you are to control. Its been proven through out time. Also whats been proven through out time, is that information and knowledge is power. Juneteeth is a shining example of that fact. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in sept 1862 and to take effect jan 1863. Except for the people of the “great” state of texas decided NOT TO TELL or recognize that slaves had been freed for two whole years. On this day, June 19th 1865, the Black people of texas were informed by Union troops that they had been freed two years previous. To put that into perspective. Imagine somebody got two years of free work from you. Not only free work, but it was ok to keep you in bondage against your will. Imagine if you were imprisoned for no reason and forced to work and you could have been released from that situation two years ago… only if you would have known. only if some body would have told you about the new law that was passed. Only if you would have known. Think about all the people that were whipped and didnt have to be. Think about all the work that was done that nobody was paid for. Think about wishing for freedom you really already had but you just didnt know it!

I have friends that believe that a celebration for this day and this event is no cause for celebration. And on the surface, I dont really knock them for that, because like I said, I used to feel the same way. I used to feel that, how could we celebrate the ending of something that should have never happen in the first place? Why should we celebrate the fact that the Black people of texas were enslaved two extra years and today is the day they were officially freed and marks the last day of slavery in the United States? It felt like alot like way too fucked up of an event to me. For a long time. Some of my friends present the argument against celebration from the perspective that Jews dont celebrate the last day of the Holocaust. Well, there is D-day, in which we remember when the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, essentially bringing down Hilters army and putting an end to the Holocaust. As far as I know, its a day of Remembrance for Jewish people. They remember what happen to them. They remember the conditions they were FORCED to live under, by their own government and country. These people who previously had rights, lives, businesses, families, communities. They were educated, they contributed to society. Then everything changed from 1933 to 1945. Until the Allied forces came in and liberated those people. They dont celebrate. But they remember. They remember so it will never happen to them again.

Black people on the other hand. We were TAKEN from were we previously was. We had no knowledge of the land, the laungage, the way of life. Nothing. Not only that, but it was ILLEGAL for us to learn how to read. Or obtain any information not given to us directly from our would be masters.

very assemblage of negroes for the purpose of instruction in reading or writing, or in the night time for any purpose, shall be an unlawful assembly. Any justice may issue his warrant to any office or other person, requiring him to enter any place where such assemblage may be, and seize any negro therein; and he, or any other justice, may order such negro to be punished with stripes.

If a white person assemble with negroes for the purpose of instructing them to read or write, or if he associate with them in an unlawful assembly, he shall be confined in jail not exceeding six months and fined not exceeding one hundred dollars; and any justice may require him to enter into a recognizance, with sufficient security, to appear before the circuit, county or corporation court, of the county or corporation where the offence was committed, at its next term, to answer therefor[sic], and in the mean time to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

In germany, they had to burn the books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_book_burnings they said they were cleansing the country of all things un-german. Essentially only offering one way of life and a controlled set of information. They had their people believing that the Jewish people of that country were evil and cursed and what not. Here is a part of a speech given one of the nites of the nazi book burnings:

The era of extreme Jewish intellectualism is now at an end. The breakthrough of the German revolution has again cleared the way on the German path…The future German man will not just be a man of books, but a man of character. It is to this end that we want to educate you. As a young person, to already have the courage to face the pitiless glare, to overcome the fear of death, and to regain respect for death - this is the task of this young generation. And thus you do well in this midnight hour to commit to the flames the evil spirit of the past. This is a strong, great and symbolic deed - a deed which should document the following for the world to know - Here the intellectual foundation of the November Republic is sinking to the ground, but from this wreckage the phoenix of a new spirit will triumphantly rise.

They had to put an end to “Jewish Intellectualism”, in their country, ending that way of life. Black people were taken and removed from our way of life and werent allowed to use our own languages to communicate. Which was the end of alot of information. We were forced to use another language we did not know, for generations. We were enslaved so long, for hundreds of years, we eventually lost our native tongue. We eventually lost all aspects of life, that make a people a people. History, Language, Tradition gone forever. The information we had about our selves, lost forever. There arent too many Black people in this country that can trace back where they come from. At a certain point, its all guess work. Every other people in this country, no matter how this country has treated them or how any other country treated them, they can trace back their ancestors pretty far. We cant. Our history goes back as far as slavery and it ends there. We will never know where we come from. Which part of Africa, which tribe. What language did we speak? What were our traditions?

I now believe that Juneteeth should be a day of remembrance for Black people in America. Just like Jewish people remember D-day and what happen to them. Today we need to remember what happen to us. Today we need to remember the fact that we were denied information. We were denied the opportunity to learn and educate our selves. To better our selves. Today we need to remember how we had our past and history taken from us. Today we need to think about what if it was me? What if I had been freed for TWO years and all I needed was somebody to tell me that I was free and it was officially law. As a Black person, think about how you felt when you found out that Barack Obama was officially the Present of the United States. Id imagine just knowing that I was free, felt way better than that moment. Think about the fact that those people, on this day just over a measly 140+ years ago, would have never imagined a Black Man would be the President of this country. The country that enslaved them. Think about the fact that slavery was all those people knew at the time. They were born into it. Thats all the information on the world that they had. Being a slave, having a master, being less than human. Thats all the information they had. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation. All the people that were freed then. Slavery was all they knew. It was all the information they had ON LIFE.
Today, we have several Black College institutions in this country, that Black people have the CHOICE of either going to, or not going to. There are no other institutions in the country like that. Chinese, Mexicans, Indians (both kinds) they dont have historical colleges through out the country. We do. On this day, we need to recognize or even celebrate that fact. Even if you didnt go to one of them.

Information is power. That is an indisputable human fact. The people that enslaved us, knew that. Alot of people dispute that the Willie Lynch Speech or Letter is even real. But if youve ever read it. Rather this speech or letter is real or not, the points outlined in that speech happen. Those conditions still affect us today. Think about your parents and grand parents when you read that speech, even if youve read it before. As a Black person, think about all the complaining you do about other Black people in this country when you read that. Think about some of the people in your family. Maybe some of the people in your family who stood in the way of your progress or maybe tried to bad mouth it. Every time I think about this speech or read about it. I think about how it used to be uncool to be smart in the hood. How I would be accused of being white for doing well in school and being smart. Thats happen to alot of people I know. Today is the day we need to think about that. ESPECIALLY the educated Black people in this country. Think about all the hardships youve faced during your education. Those of us that didnt go to a historic black college. Thats what this day is about.

If there is any cause for celebration today. I say as EDUCATED Black people, its time for us to focus on the positive instead of the negative. Of course slavery should have never happen. But it did and THANK GOD we were not born into that situation, however we are STILL affected by slavery and its cruel methods to this very day. We are still affected by the information we werent allowed to obtain and even discouraged from our own people from obtaining. For SAFETY at first. And now its just habit. All my life, Ive heard my father tell him how he has heard and been told by white people in this country, that if you want to keep anything from a Nigga, put it in a book. Think about that.

Today as Black people in remembrance and celebration of the events that took place on this day, we should all go out and learn something. We should go out and educate our selves to either something new or further our education in which ever field we have chosen. Or even pass some valuable information on to another Black person. That how we even got this far.
We can do ANYTHING! And we have proven that fact over and over again. In the past we werent even given a chance to show what we have learned or can do because no one believed that we could possibly learn. Not learn anything in specific, just learn. Today, we have the option to learn whatever we want. There was a time in this country no one believe we could be Doctors. One of my best friends just recently graduated Medical School. He went to a Historic Black College and a Black MEDICAL School. Until he went, I didnt even know there was one! Imagine my surprise lol. When that man graduated, I shed a tear. I shed a few tears. Not only was I happy for my friend, but it was yet another Black man doing something in this country we were told we couldnt do LESS THAN 100 YEARS AGO!
Today we need to remember, recognize and hell if you feel the damn spirit, celebrate! But lets celebrate for a set of reasons we can all agree on and dont have to look down on those who either chose or chose not to.
Lets celebrate the fact we were allowed to better ourselves today. We were given NOTHING. Remember, the people that were freed were born into slavery. Thats all they knew. So they had to start as a people from scratch. Today was the day we had to move forward and forget about the past. Do you think those people in Texas focused on the fact that they were kept in slavery for two extra years? Or do you think they celebrated the fact that they were FREE! Id go with the latter. ( Although Im sure they were pissed eventually lol, I woulda been lol. ). Those people went forward with their lives. They were forced to. They were adults who couldnt read or write. Had no money, no nothing to their name. So I think on this day, us educated Black people in this country, need to at least remember that and take some sort of action on this day to better ourselves. Just like alot of our ancestors did over 140+ years ago. Today is the day we move forward, some how some way. Just like our ancestors did 144 years ago. Thats our history. Thats our past. Thats all we have. We have to remember what happen to us. We have to remember the conditions we came from and we have to at least recognize how far we have come. We Today we need to recognize how we are still affected by the what happen to us. I think thats the most important thing about Juneteeth. The fact that the conditions of slavery still affect every last Black person in this country today. Either directly or indirectly.
There are alot of less than intelligent things going on in the Black community but we have alot to be proud of. To start from having nothing, to all that we have over come and accomplished so far. I think thats alot to be proud of and recognize no matter what.

At the very least if you dont support a celebration, How about a Juneteeth networking event? As much as Professional Black people in this country love to throw and attened networking events and mixers, Juneteeth seems to me, to be a great oppertunity to ‘network’ and share information. That actually sounds like a networking event I’d actually attetend. I think we need to make that happen.

Anyway, If you read down this far, thats my argument for why Juneteenth is important. I do invite you to share your thoughts. Thank you for your time.