Why We All Celebrate Juneteenth
It matters more than ever that we celebrate Juneteenth because of the evolution in consciousness that it can represent. “The Spirit of Juneteenth,” written by Tom Feelings, expresses so well why we celebrate Juneteenth.
“If 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—then that painful Middle Passage could become, ironically, a positive connecting line to all of us whether living inside or outside the continent of Africa …”
The celebration of Juneteenth matters, because our country cannot afford to repeat its past “sins” that generated beliefs, policies, and systems that were and are discriminatory, immoral, and inhumane.
A celebration of the liberation from those beliefs, policies, and systems can help to ensure that we will not repeat them. Just as the parades and picnics of July 4 reminds us of our country’s independence from the oppressive rule of Great Britain, the celebration of Juneteenth evokes our country’s victory over an internal, oppressive, and immoral system that divided it and threatened to destroy it.
Now that we know better, we must continue to do better. We must not fall asleep on the job. We must continue the work of creating a society where all people are appreciated, loved, and respected for who they are rather than for the color of their skin, their disability status, the name of their religion, or the preference of their sexuality. We are one in spirit. We are one humanity.