Juneteenth is special because it’s about what African Americans experienced and interpreted as a moment of freedom, rather than what Abraham Lincoln (or some piece of paper) said. (From 2020)
Juneteenth also doesn’t require religion. This is important, because while several religions have holidays that invoke the notion of liberation in some sense, the merging of those holidays to religious doctrine can make those holidays inconvenient for nonpractitioners and nonbelievers. Despite its very American roots, Juneteenth is liberated from religion and has the potential to serve as an international, cross-cultural celebration of liberation.
Lastly, Juneteenth’s central messages about the power of true emancipation might be attractive across political, ideological, and other existing subdivisions. And though this general message might be digestible to the average person, the holiday may offer subtleties that remain poignant, and can do real anti-racist work. Framed correctly, Juneteenth offers an opportunity for reflection and racial reckoning that is utterly taboo in American public discourse.
You don’t need to be a cynic to predict a pessimistic alternative: that the widespread adoption of Juneteenth will transform serious reflections on slavery into a day of cookouts, cornhole, and laptop sales on Amazon. After all, denial and dishonesty on matters of race are as American as apple pie.
Photographs: Al Bello/Getty Images; Jeffrey Greenberg/Getty Images; Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images; Denver Post/Getty Images
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why I refused to babysit my nephew when my sister-in-law went into laborA woman has enraged people after admitting she refused to look after her nephew when her sister-in-law went into labor two weeks early.
Read more »
Creator of the Viral Pedro Pascal Fancam Explains Why the Actor Is TikTok's Favorite DaddyIf there is one thing people on TikTok can agree on, it’s that Pedro Pascal is smoking hot.
Read more »
Twitter went down because employee accidentally deleted data: reportTwitter went down because an employee accidentally deleted data, and there was nobody left on the team responsible due to Elon Musk's cuts, report says
Read more »
Biden admin may be overlooking how deep the China security breach went, expert warnsWeifeng Zhong, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, raises concerns over the China spy flight over the U.S.
Read more »
The wild and crazy lengths National Enquirer went to for celeb scoopsOver the years, the National Enquirer went to just about any length to get a scoop — from buying out a first class cabin to get to Richard Burton to hiring Elvis Presley’s relative to secretl…
Read more »
At his request, Penn Badgley's You sex scenes went from 100 to near 0Badgley lauds You creator Sera Gamble for respecting that when he requested to cut down his sex scenes, no meant no
Read more »