On this day June 19, 155 years ago in 1865, union soldiers marched into Galveston, Texas reporting that the bloody on-going civil war had ended, and that enslaved people--black people, Africans that were stolen from their lands, African-Americans--were now FREE.
Now, what does free necessarily entail? Well, one of the first orders of business that General Granger read, was:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
What a celebration, what a triumph for enslaved Africans, enslaved black people to finally and most rightfully be "free" from the chains, whips, and devils of white masters, white people.
But see, how do we define "free"? What does that word even mean? This has been boggling my mind, as America has always been accounted for as "the land of the free". The land of the free for white people? The land of the free for anyone not of color? Most definitely not the land of the free for black people.
To be free from something is to escape or be withheld from whatever "chains" (literally and metaphorically) is holding you "captive". To go on.
Legally, enslaved people were free. To live life as they pleased in a foreign country. To decide (as much as they had that power) to leave their masters and torturous experiences. However, in society enslaved people were not free. Black people were not free. And still aren't today.
Racial slurs spit out from confederate slave-owning master's mouths, crowds of racist white people smiling for the camera next to black people that were dead hanging in trees, discrimination in the workplace and huge differences of pay between the black person (low) to white (high), black 8-year olds fearing for their lives as white police man throw them to the ground and beat their innocent souls, black teenagers and men fearing for their lives as white police men mercilessly murder them.
This day legally gave enslaved people their rights back, to reclaim their lives, to run from their racist and atrocious experiences, and to live a life on their own. However, till this day *personally, interpersonally, institutionally, and structurally you will find racism, especially racism against those of color, especially racism against black people to be very present.
It is disheartening to hear how history still repeats itself, and not only that, that racism is a deep-rooted issue in America. There needs to be major reform at every *single level of racism to see less killings of our fellow Black people, our Black community, our Black children.
What can you do? If you are sitting here reading this, and you are not black, your voice matters even more-so! Your voice matters, and your support via social media, via talks with family and friends, via use of language is essential. If you are sitting here reading this, and you are white. Use your white privilege to continue spreading the BLM (Black Lives Matter) awareness, to protect your fellow Black brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews. WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. We are under 1, one single human race. It IS up to everyone, regardless of whether you're Black or not, to use your voice, use your platform, use your body to fight against active racism that is killing our Black community and has been for hundreds of years.
Do your part and stand up.
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Cover page picture:
Juneteenth poster. I,age: Twitter/@Constance8News