I’m all for establishing a federal holiday to celebrate the end of slavery but Juneteenth is a weird one to use. It is so localized to the Texas slave experience. Seems like utilizing the date of the Emancipation Proclamation or the ratification of the 13th Amendment would be better. I guess the December and January dates are too problematic.
Just found a pithy statement in the Monkey Cage newsletter. "Juneteenth began as a distinctly Texan celebration. But as Black Americans moved during the Great Migration, the holiday spread to more than 200 cities and other states." And, as Ms. Dalmia notes, it's good for the folks who have the most to celebrate to decide the appropriate day.
I just read one commentator say the federal holiday was more about the symbolism of Juneteenth in connection with the broader experience of how emancipation was a process that occurred over time and is less about the specific historical events that happened in Texas. I appreciated that perspective. I also didn’t know that Juneteenth had spread outside of Texas as much as it apparently did.
I was just wondering why Juneteenth was selected to serve as the focal point for a national celebration of emancipation given its history. I wasn’t presuming to tell anyone how or when to do so. Maybe a bit less Twitter scolding is in order?
Nothing against the holiday. I believe the name should be changed to something like "Emancipation Day". Juneteenth rolls off the tongue weirdly.
Thanks so much, Rachel!
Of relevance to the remembrance aspects of Juneteenth, with thanks to Melvin E. Edwards:
"Until 1870, enslaved human beings were listed on federal censuses along with heads of cattle and value of farm equipment, not by their names."
https://fragmentsintime.substack.com/p/on-juneteenth-and-remembrance
I’m all for establishing a federal holiday to celebrate the end of slavery but Juneteenth is a weird one to use. It is so localized to the Texas slave experience. Seems like utilizing the date of the Emancipation Proclamation or the ratification of the 13th Amendment would be better. I guess the December and January dates are too problematic.
I'd let the people who suffered and struggled decide the appropriate date.
Just found a pithy statement in the Monkey Cage newsletter. "Juneteenth began as a distinctly Texan celebration. But as Black Americans moved during the Great Migration, the holiday spread to more than 200 cities and other states." And, as Ms. Dalmia notes, it's good for the folks who have the most to celebrate to decide the appropriate day.
I just read one commentator say the federal holiday was more about the symbolism of Juneteenth in connection with the broader experience of how emancipation was a process that occurred over time and is less about the specific historical events that happened in Texas. I appreciated that perspective. I also didn’t know that Juneteenth had spread outside of Texas as much as it apparently did.
I was just wondering why Juneteenth was selected to serve as the focal point for a national celebration of emancipation given its history. I wasn’t presuming to tell anyone how or when to do so. Maybe a bit less Twitter scolding is in order?
Apologies...Just was making an observation. Didn't mean to come across as scolding.
Me too. I was being over sensitive.