One day out of the month is not enough time to honor Juneteenth.
One month out of the year is still not enough time to honor Juneteenth.
The timeline of American history is not without its blemishes, and after centuries of oppression, the sad reality for many Black Americans is we believe that our history begins with slavery. We believe our origin stories begin on plantations with our forefathers in chains and their former names erased. Black history extends well beyond the arrival of cargo slave ships from across the Atlantic ocean, and though the practice of slavery has since been abolished, what we can learn together about Juneteenth is that generational pain does not have to be a curse.
Juneteenth is a time to remember the injustice for the two and a half years of “freedom” withheld from Black Americans living in Texas during the year 1865. Juneteenth has its teachable moments. Slavery formally ended in Texas on June 19th, 1865, but only after federal troops arrived on Galveston Island, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln almost 3 years earlier.
Juneteenth is a time to share history in the form of a story. A moment shared at the barbeque. A moment shared at the trail ride. A moment shared at the parade. A moment shared on the radio. A moment passed down year after year, generation after generation. A moment shared together, one story at a time.
Join KOOP Radio this month as we celebrate Juneteenth with special programming honoring Black music, voices, and history in our community.