CARL WATTS & ASSOCIATES
June 14, 2010
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Washington DC
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tel/fax 202 350-9002 |
Juneteenth 2010
145th Anniversary
145th Anniversary
From Africa’s heart, we rose
Already a people, our faces ebon, our bodies lean, We rose Skills of art, life, beauty and family Crushed by forces we knew nothing of, We rose Survive we must, we did, We rose We rose to be you, we rose to be me, Above everything expected, We rose To become the knowledge we never knew, We rose Dream, we did Act we must (Kristina Kay)
We rose
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Galveston, Texas, June 1865:
Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years before, on January 1, 1863. The Civil War had ended in April 9, 1865, but the good tidings had not reached this far and 250,000 slaves were still in bondage in Texas. Maybe the messenger got killed, maybe the slave masters were hoping for a last cotton crop. Nobody knows for sure. We do know that on June 18 Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with 1,800 federal troops to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation. |
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On June 19, 1865, standing in the balcony of Ashton Villa, Gordon Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3” which said:
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It is impossible for us today to even imagine the impact of those words, the shock and jubilation. It was the moment that marked the actual liberation of all slaves in the United States of America, the day when freedom came for all.
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This is why for the true American, June 19 is the real, more personally relevant day of independence. It brings to life the American ideal that:
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“... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...”
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That June in 1865 marked the beginning of a long, hard and often obstacle-strewn road to equality and integration. Juneteenth will always remind us of a cruel, undignified page in history, of a long and traumatic ordeal of nearly four hundred years of slavery; and, at the same time, of the triumph of the human spirit. |
“This part of our history could be told in such a way that those chains of the past, those shackles that physically bound us together against our wills could, in the telling, become spiritual links that willingly bind us together now and into the future.” (Tom Feelings) |
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With the passing of time, Juneteenth celebrations spread across the country and beyond as a symbol of unity in diversity, encouraging self-development and respect for all. It is a day for us to take a step closer to each other, to open our hearts and minds to all cultures, races and ethnicities, to celebrate, rejoice and pray for peace and liberty for all.
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| As of March 2010, 36 states and the District of Colombia have recognized Juneteenth as either an official holiday or state holiday observance. There are Juneteenth festivities, festivals, parades, reunions and picnics, art exhibitions, concerts and conferences everywhere; “google” it and find a way to join and reflect. |
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| HAPPY JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION TO YOU ALL! | |