I don't particularly celebrate the Fourth of July. While most people spend the day proudly sporting the Stars and Stripes, barbecuing and watching fireworks; I prefer to let the day pass with little, if any recognition. I instead celebrate Juneteenth, on the 19th of June. The reason why is simple. On July 4, 1776, liberty was only granted to a certain group of individuals. For a large portion of the American population, freedom wouldn't come for nearly 100 years. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation "freed" the slaves in 1863, freedom for enslaved people was not immediate. Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas in 1865.
I celebrate Juneteenth, because unlike the Fourth of July, it marks the day that my ancestors were able able to begin to shape their own American identity. Rather than participate in what Frederick Douglass called, "a hollow mockery" and "a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages." I prefer to use June 19th to reflect on the progress of my community. Even today, in the 21st century, freedom is a privilege enjoyed by the few and not the many. African Americans are still fighting the same fights decades later, and the repetitive need for community leaders to reiterate the same point over suggests that little has changed since 1865.
Unlike 1965, there are more opportunities for African Americans to celebrate their culture and progress. By no means does that mean that every African American story is exclusively linked to slavery. Just like every American story does not begin to form at the point of the Declaration of independence. However, it is important that if we are going to proclaim that, "all men are created equal", there should be an acknowledgement of when that process begins for every community. The sad truth is that "liberty and justice for all", did not mean people of color, and still doesn't to an extent. Juneteenth is an opportunity to note a day when a community that helped build America can celebrate how far they have come. This is why I celebrate Juneteenth, instead of the Fourth of July.
