A Map Through The Valley: CELEBRATE FREEDOM Part One

Juneteenth Flag

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;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1 NKJV