Today we commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States. Though it is the oldest celebration of African American emancipation, it only became a federal holiday in 2021. Despite its deep significance, Juneteenth has been met with mockery and dismissal. Commentators and even elected officials have described it as “lame,” “woke,” “ghetto,” or “made up”—as if all holidays aren’t, in some sense, created. Some have tried to frame Juneteenth as a rival to the Fourth of July, but many understand that the two mark different yet equally essential events: the founding of the nation and the emancipation of enslaved people.
The resistance to Juneteenth is perplexing. Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate the fall of the nation’s original sin and the expansion of freedom? It took a determined, diverse coalition of people to push this country to live up to its ideals of liberty and justice.
Yet Juneteenth comes with a bitter coda. Shortly after the first celebration in 1866, the Jim Crow era began—a century of systemic racial oppression that shaped American life, spreading segregation and dehumanization across the land. Still, people of all races came together to resist injustice, fighting discriminatory laws, policies, and social norms.
That struggle continues. As we witness families detained, people deported, protesters vilified, histories erased, poverty deepened, rights repealed, and justice undermined, Juneteenth reminds us of the enduring value of human dignity and true community. It is a celebration of freedom—but also a call to action. Freedom is not a given; it is a struggle we must sustain.
So today remember, when we know better, we must do better. Resist. Celebrate—but resist.
I am Joseph Flynn, and that is my perspective. Happy Juneteenth, everyone.
