What Juneteenth Means to Me

What Juneteenth means to me:

Juneteenth is not just a black holiday. Maybe it was historically, as most people celebrating it were the descendants of slaves and it has special meaning for those whose ancestors gained their freedom in that time. But now…it’s officially a federal holiday. The federal government is by and for all people of America. More importantly, the end of slavery is important to the history and very spirit of this country.

If you would have asked me before Juneteenth was put into law as a holiday: should it be a federal holiday? I would have said no, mentioning that we already have enough holidays. But, if we have to have an additional one, Juneteenth is a good choice.

Juneteenth is about freedom! Among reasonable choices that could describe the United States in one word, liberty and freedom rank high. A holiday celebrating freedom is quintessential America.

We are all Americans. The country’s history and spirit are part of us all as citizens, whether or not our ancestors took part in, or benefited from, slavery. Its sins are our sins. Its virtues are our virtues. Its progress is our progress. Like we all celebrate independence from monarchy on the fourth of July…we’ll all celebrate the Juneteenth independence from enslavement, similar to, on the third Monday of each January, appreciating Civil Rights advances a hundred years later by remembering Martin Luther King. All these holidays remember important historical advances in liberty, equality, and the pursuit of…