CELEBRATE FREEDOM
PART ONE
By Gail K. Kachnycz 26 June 2024
Philadelphia has
always been proud to be the location where independence was declared in 1776.
Celebrations have included reenactments of the reading of the Declaration of
Independence and free admission to various museums, parades and over-the-top
concerts capping off “Freedom Week.” Since Juneteenth was designated a federal
holiday in 2021, special events now take place for 16 days, June 19 through
July 4.
I was unfamiliar
with Juneteenth since my schooling took place during the 1960’s. A member of my
church congregation included the history of Juneteenth in a series of brief
lessons on African American history each year in February. During the Civil
War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, to be
effective January 1, 1863. The website of the National Museum of African
American History and Culture notes:
Enslaved people in Confederate
States were declared legally free…Union soldiers marched onto plantations and
across cities reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. Freedom
finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union Troops arrived in
Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved
black people in the state, were free by executive decree. [1]
The article includes this statement in closing:
“The historical legacy
of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.”
(emphasis added)
I am glad that
Juneteenth is a fully recognized federal holiday. I share the sentiment
expressed by President Biden in the remarks he made when he signed the Act
designating a nation-wide observance:
… Great nations don’t ignore their
most painful moments. They don’t ignore those moments of the past. They embrace
them. Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we
made. And in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger. [2]
Juneteenth
commemorates the day the final group of enslaved people in America learned they
were free. There would be future struggles for equality, such as integration of
the military and sports in the 1940’s, and desegregation of schools in 1954
following Brown vs. Board of Education. Further action in the 1960’s resulted
in the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act in 1965, and “Fair Housing Act”
in 1968. “Liberty and justice for all” requires ongoing vigilance, but it
started with liberty on Juneteenth.
To conclude,
celebrate liberty and acknowledge those who dedicated their lives to obtaining
and defending our rights and freedoms. These observances also challenge us to
follow their example. Whenever we see injustice, we should pray and take action
as the Lord directs, thus continuing His mission:
The Spirit of the LORD
is upon Me,
Because He has
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent me to heal
the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to
the captives
And recovery of sight
to the blind,
To set at liberty
those who are oppressed;
[1] www.nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth (accessed 6/25/24)
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/06/17/remarks-by-president-biden-at-signing-of-the-juneteenth-national-independence-day-act/
(accessed 6/25/24)
