I grew up in an all-white small rural community.
When I first heard of Juneteenth, I was well past my middle-ages. And that is an incredibly sad truth about our American education system. Millions of Americans had never heard of Juneteenth when it came up as a holiday.
So, what does it mean to me?
I was shocked when I read “General Order No. 3.” This is the correspondence Major General Gordon Granger read to the enslaved of Texas on June 19th, 1865. I recommend you find a copy online and read it.In part it says. “All slaves are free.”
Just stop a moment and imagine what those words would sound like after a lifetime of being enslaved?
Followed by: “This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves,”
Oh, if only it had been so easy.
Now, as an adult, having supplemented my meager public-school education with decades of reading and working in my small ways for social justice and civil rights, I know that as a nation some advances have been made toward “absolute equality” however, I am also keenly aware that we have many miles to go.
So, Juneteenth for me is now a reminder of what human beings are capable of. I am reminded why there is still so much inequality in our society.
And Juneteenth inspires me to do all I can to try and move us another mile down the road to “absolute equality.”
I am Dan Kenney, and this is my perspective.
