...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Thursday, June 19, 2003
      ( 10:44 AM )
 
Happy Juneteenth!

Today is Juneteenth - the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in this country. It started in Galveston, Texas as a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. Whatever else may be said about this country's history, it should never be forgotten that the prosperity and the land that this country enjoys is because of the men, women and children who were slaves. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation 140 years ago, it was another 100 years until our government actually recognized black people as equal in all respects. It took even longer for our society and culture to catch up, and in some places it still hasn't. One thing I'm certain of, we can not and should not forget this part of our history and we should be honest with ourselves about the results in our culture of the 400 years of the oppression of one part of our population. Pretending like it doesn't matter and absolving ourselves of the responsibility and shame of it doesn't solve anything and doesn't help. If this country still exists in another 100 years, I hope that the Juneteenth celebration will recall the years after now when equality and fairness really did come to be for all the people of this country. Happy Juneteenth.

| -- permanent link