Happy Juneteenth!

Howdy Barflies! Welcome to our first official Juneteenth celebration!

For those who don't know: On June 19, 1865, word finally reached Black slaves in Galveston, TX that they were free, as stipulated by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The now-free slaves celebrated this as a holiday, and it became a holiday in the Black community ever since.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. This is the first year it's been officially celebrated as a holiday.

Now, let's be clear: This holiday is primarily for Black Americans. It's a holiday in which they can celebrate how far their community has come, and to redouble the work to complete the project of freedom. We as allies can partake in this celebration by listening to Black Americans, and to reflect on our country's history of both discrimination and the fight against that discrimination. 

Much like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I doubt that Juneteenth will ever be commercialized. It just doesn't lend itself to that. And that's a very good thing. The reasons for the two holidays go beyond crass capitalism. They are holidays for reflection and service. Even corporations realize this, and don't sully the holidays with deep discounts on merchandise. 

Holidays like Juneteenth, or monthlong commemorations like Pride or Hispanic Heritage, anger and infuriate a certain segment of white America. They're not centered in this narrative. They feel their power and privilege slipping away. And I say: Good. This country is no longer exclusively theirs. Those who have been left out of the conversation will no longer tolerate being marginalized, being excluded, being denied their humanity. I have no sympathy for them. The problem lies with their hate and animus, not with those they've oppressed and looked down on for centuries. I recall the "slap heard around the world" in In the Heat of the Night, where the racist white man, confronted by Black police officer Virgil Tibbs, cries that he can no longer have him shot in the street. His descendants today need to have this same lesson forced down their throats. Their time is gone. They can join in a new, better America, or be left by the wayside. It makes no difference to me.

So a happy Juneteenth official holiday to one and all. May we all reaffirm our nation's promise, and work to fulfill it, so that our still-deep wounds may finally heal in true justice.