Juneteenth 2008
On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and those who had been slaves were now free. There are a number of accounts as to why freedom took so long to arrive in Texas:
Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All or none of them could be true. History of Juneteenth, Juneteenth.com
Whatever the reason, the result was that free people were still enslaved past the moment when slavery was abolished. In honor of the jubilation the ancestors must have felt on this day, I have released my imagination from the bonds of reality for a moment and I will share a fantasy with you. My fantasy is that I have arms long enough and strong enough to wrap around all the poor, disenfranchised and hopeless young people in our country. I draw them close and whisper in each anxious ear “You are free.” I tell them “There is no limit to your power, if you claim it.” Resilience and determination will get you where you need to go. No other human being can define you. If you will set your mind, all things are possible. Turn away from television. Turn away from those who judge, criticize and hurt you; telling you, “you cannot succeed.” Then, I would draw them even closer, whispering still, and remind them of the love and strength sent to them by those who slaved in the fields, laid railroad tracks, dug coal and fought in wars to build this country. I would whisper to the young ones “You are here to claim the piece of the American dream that the ancestors dreamed for you.”
I wrote this post for Juneteenth last year. It still feels just right. But I also wrote a fresh post for AOL BlackVoices/BlackSpin.
The Afrospear Celebrates Juneteenth today! Please take a moment to read these wonderful posts.
Black Perspective - D.Yobachi Boswell
Dallas South Blog - Shawn P. Williams
Electronic Village - Wayne Hicks
Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman
Problem Chylde: In her solitude - M/Sylvia
Ultraviolet Underground - Purple Zoe
AND check out this post from blogamigo XP over at XicanoPower.
Posted by: Carmen D. in 
[...] Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. Carmen D. writes: [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 6:39 am -[...] All About Race [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am -[...] All About Race [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am -[...] All About Race [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 5:22 pm -Happy Juneteenth!! That was a great post, it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for including me on that list. In solidarity, I will update my post to include that list.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm -[...] All About Race - Carmen D. [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 7:03 pm -[...] p.s. - Special shout-out to Carmen D. for your reminder of my prompt to the AfroSpear … [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 7:21 pm -That is a high compliment XP, thank you. In solidarity indeed.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:33 pm -As you undoubtably know, the Emancipation Proclamation (effective Jan 1, 1863)freed very few slaves until the war ended (April 1865)since it only applied to parts of the Confederacy over which the Union had no control. In fact, Lincoln guaranteed slavery in Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia. Further the Emancipation Proclamation left slaves enslaved in any part of the Confederacey that the Union had captured and controlled at the date of its issue. This included Tennessee and parts of Virginia and Louisiana. The proclamation was only enforced when Union troops occupied the rest of the Confederacy (note that even after the war, Missouri, et al, kept their slaves until the 13th Amendment was ratified). So it isn’t really surprising that it took 2 1/2 years for Texas slaves to be free since it took 2 1/3 years for the Union to win the war.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:48 pm -Peace Carmen *_^
Much respect on the Juneteenth post. Again thankyou to you and Jose for inspiring it.
Shine on
June 20th, 2008 at 12:43 am -~~~~~~~~~~~~*
[...] to Carmen D. from All About Race for making this an Afrospear wide event. addthis_url = [...]
June 20th, 2008 at 6:34 am -Great post. Thanks for sharing the history. For anyone who’s interested, there’s a really good article, Juneteenth: A Day of Dignity, Equality and Reflection at http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3676.cfm
June 20th, 2008 at 7:32 am -Our history is very important. Thanks for both reminding and teaching us. The sad thing is some people still don’t hold their head up or speak up in equality. As opportunity opens the door we must not view it from the backside but walk through it to grow and make a difference for the generations that follow. We owe this to our ancestors.think of the pressure that comes out of a charged fire hydrant hose pushing ancestors skin, knocking them down to the unpaved road gravel just so we could go to a poll to vote….. we must stand on that freedom
June 21st, 2008 at 5:34 am -Appreciative greatly in Portsmouth,VA