When I was a kid, history class was mostly about memorizing dates and names. There was little talk of the humanity behind those facts and no real effort was made to teach empathy or imagination.
The Civil War and slavery occupied a chapter in the textbook. It felt like a mere footnote in our nation's history rather than a series of events that went on for centuries and that literally tore the country apart. I don't even recall hearing the word Juneteenth until college history classes. Even then, I'm not sure how much I really appreciated the significance of the date or the events leading up to it.
A lot of textbook editors having a nasty habit of watering down the facts and minimizing the cruelty of slavery. There are still plenty of people in this country today who claim it wasn't that bad. They say it has been so long since slavery ended that it doesn't matter and the country needs to just forget about it.
I don't understand this way of thinking. Then I remember the utter lack of empathy people have for anyone unlike them. And I remember how poorly this topic has been addressed in schools. And then I remember just how ill informed so many people are today.
Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised after all.
The Blennerhassett Museum in Parkersburg, West Virginia used to have two items on display that I think every American should see at least once. The first is a newspaper classified ad for a group of slaves being sold at auction in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The ad is designed to dehumanize the people, describing only the age, physical characteristics and abilities of each slave. They weren't described as humans but as chattel.
There was nothing unusual about this ad or the language used to describe the "property being sold." Maybe that's why it bothered me so much. It was simply characteristic of the language, attitudes and procedures of the day. My mind cannot wrap itself around this idea that families could be split apart, people could be forced into captivity and human rights could be denied anyone simply for the color of their skin.
What kind of nation would allow this to happen?
The other artifact was a heavy cast iron collar. It was impossibly small and designed to be worn around the neck. I swear, if someone put such a thing on me I would panic and pass out. It was a monument to inhumanity.
My blood still runs cold at the very thought even though I saw these things years ago.
It was June 19, 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas finally learned that they were free. This was two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and months after the war ended. This was the last Confederate community of enslaved people to learn of their freedom.
Juneteenth has long been a sacred day for many black communities and is celebrated as America's other Independence Day. I am glad to see it recognized by our nation as a federal holiday.
I'm just sorry it took this long and that so many still don't understand why the day should be celebrated. It is a joyous day and yet one that feels solemn to me.
Let us remember all those who suffered, who lost their lives, who were separated from loved ones, and who never got to taste freedom in their life on this earth. Let us learn something from this shameful chapter of our past and let us rejoice on this important day. It IS a special day and one that deserves celebrating.
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