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| Image from Department of Defense Education Activity |
"Happy Juneteenth!"
This post is a work in progress.
You see, creative writing takes a lot of time and energy—and I am currently editing blog posts, so I will write this post as soon as I can.
Thus, I will be completing this blog post as soon as I am able to do so!
And while you're waiting for me to complete this blog post, I hope that you will read my current "Online Activism," with regard to Juneteenth topics, from my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the post):
So, please consider reading my current "Online Activism," with regard to Juneteenth topics, which can be found below "My Writing Notes."
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"
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My Writing Notes:
The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement:
This post is a work in progress. You see, creative writing takes a lot of time and energy—and I am currently editing blog posts, so I will write this post as soon as I can. Thus, I will be completing this blog post as soon as I am able to do so!
And while you're waiting for me to complete this blog post, I hope that you will read my current "Online Activism," with regard to Juneteenth topics, from my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the post):
So, please consider reading my current "Online Activism," with regard to Juneteenth topics, which can be found below "My Writing Notes."
And this poem was only published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog.
This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
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My Current "Online Activism" With Regard To Juneteenth Topics From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Can Be Found On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog (Please See The Hyperlink Below For The Post):
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June 19th, 2022 Update—Continued: (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog): In observance of Juneteenth, I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress urging them to pass the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.21/H.J.Res.53), after I received an email from the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) on June 17th, 2022, with the subject line, "Forced labor persists. Here's what to know – and action to take.", which stated the following:
Paul –
Ahead of this Juneteenth weekend, there's a glaring reality that our country needs to face: Despite many of us being taught that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude more than 150 years ago – forced labor still persists in our country.
What I'm talking about is the exploitative practice of forced prison labor – and it is largely a result of something called "the exception clause" in the 13th Amendment itself.
The ACLU released a shocking new report this week that shows exactly how this "exception" continues to fuel human rights abuses against incarcerated workers across the country. I'll break that down for you in one second, but first I want you to know that there's something you can do to help end the injustice:
A critical piece of legislation is in Congress right now – called the Abolition Amendment – which seeks to nullify this egregious loophole once and for all. We just need to push our lawmakers to take action.
So please, send a message with us to your members of Congress today and tell them to pass the Abolition Amendment immediately.
SEND YOUR MESSAGE:***
To be clear: The "exception clause" states that slavery is barred except for people who have been convicted of crimes. And our latest findings show that it has allowed for millions of workers in prisons over the years to be exploited, underpaid, and excluded from workplace safety protection laws.
In fact, more than 76% of incarcerated workers reported facing punishment – such as solitary confinement, denial of sentence reductions, or loss of family visitation – if they decline or were unable to work. And that doesn't begin to cover the inhumane conditions they're also made to work within.
It's no coincidence either that this loophole disproportionately encouraged the criminalization and re-enslavement of Black people during the Jim Crow era – and that we still feel the impacts of this systemic racism today in the disproportionate incarceration of Black and Brown people in our country's prisons.
Paul, for a nation that claims to be the "land of the free," forced labor of any kind is unacceptable, and it is unconscionable that we've kept this exception within the United States Constitution.
Let's bring it to an end: Send a message to Congress today and tell them to pass the Abolition Amendment immediately.
Thanks for taking action,
[Name redacted]
Pronouns: She, her, hers
[Title redacted], ACLU Human Rights Program
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
And, after I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress, as mentioned above, I also made a donation to the ACLU in order to show my support for passing the Abolition Amendment in celebration of "The Land of the Free," because slavery is just plain wrong.
–Paul Whiting (written June 19th, 2022, revised June 22nd, 2022, revised June 25th, 2022, revised June 26th, 2022, revised September 4th, 2022, revised September 13th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised December 26th, 2022, revised December 30th, 202, revised January 1st, 2023, revised May 30th, 2023, revised June 5th, 2023, revised June 20th, 2023 and revised May 4th, 2024)
[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]
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June 19th, 2023 Update: In observance of Juneteenth, I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress urging them to pass the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.21/H.J.Res.53), after I did a search on Google for "ACLU Close The Slavery Loophole" and I found a corresponding action on the ACLU website titled, "CONGRESS: END FORCED LABOR IN PRISONS," which can be found below:
Congress: End Forced Labor in PrisonsDespite the fact that many are taught that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude more than 150 years ago, forced, unpaid labor still persists to this day in our country – due in large part to the "exception clause" of the 13th Amendment. This egregious loophole barred slavery except for people who have been convicted of crimes – which has resulted in the forced labor of incarcerated workers across the country and encouraged the continued overcriminalization of Black and Brown people for centuries.But there’s legislation that could end the "exception clause" once and for all – and we must demand our lawmakers take action on it. So please send a message to Congress and tell them to pass the Abolition Amendment immediately.Message Recipients: Your U.S. House Representative and SenatorsYOUR MESSAGESubject: Pass the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.21/H.J.Res.53)As your constituent, I urge you to support passage of the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.21/H.J.Res.53) – which would end slavery and involuntary servitude in all its forms — including forced labor in prisons.The "exception clause" to the 13th Amendment barred slavery except for people who have been convicted of crimes. This loophole disproportionately encouraged the criminalization and re-enslavement of Black people during the Jim Crow era, gave rise to Black Codes, convict leasing, and chain gangs. Its harm persists today in the form of forced labor, poverty wages, and reliance on mass incarceration that disproportionately impacts people of color.Put simply: The "exception clause" has allowed for millions of incarcerated workers over the years to be exploited, underpaid, and excluded from workplace safety protection laws – and it has enabled human rights abuses and systemic racism to go on for centuries.In the land of the free, forced labor is never acceptable. So please, take action immediately to end the exception – and pass the Abolition Amendment.Sincerely,[First Name] [Last Name]YOUR INFORMATIONSalutation (required by some officials): Mr.First name: PaulLast name: WhitingE-mail address: [redacted]Address: [redacted]Address Line 2: [redacted]City: [redacted]State: [redacted]Zip Code: [redacted]Phone: [redacted]
And, after I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress, via the ACLU website, I also made a donation to the ACLU in order to show my support for passing the Abolition Amendment in celebration of "The Land of the Free," because slavery is just plain wrong.
Besides that, I also read an excellent article on the ACLU website—that is from June 17, 2022—which is titled, "The Liberating Truth About Juneteenth." A copy of the full article can be found below:
"The Liberating Truth About Juneteenth" from the ACLUYasmin Cader, Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality | June 17, 2022As we celebrate Juneteenth, let’s remember exactly what we are celebrating, and why. ... We celebrate our ancestors who secured their own freedom, manifested their own destiny, and gave us a clear path to do the same for ourselves.When my first born started kindergarten, I learned American enslavement was on the curriculum that year. Before he took that first step into the classroom, I made sure he knew the truth of his ancestors’ resistance to enslavement, including the specific ways we ultimately secured our own freedom. As we say in my house, “we freed ourselves.”This week as we celebrate Juneteenth, recognized as a federal holiday just one year ago, we must reflect not only on when slavery ended, but how it ended. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 — two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued — when the Union army advanced in Texas and Oklahoma declaring the last enslaved people there free. But emancipation’s full history can scarcely be summed up by a single day or announcement.The revolutionary role that the enslaved played in securing their own liberation is often overlooked. Yet as noted by W.E.B. Du Bois in “Black Reconstruction,” and subsequently by other historians including Steven Hahn and Thavolia Glymph before and during the Civil War, enslaved people engaged in a range of forms of resistance, both armed and subtle. As the Civil War progressed, this resistance catalyzed into what Du Bois famously termed “the general strike.” Enslaved people fled plantations, organized work stoppages and slow downs, nursed union soldiers, and directed them to provisions on plantations, engaged in violent resistance and joined the Union Army. This massive disruption of the wartime economy of the South represented what Du Bois calls a “withdrawal and bestowal of his labor [that] decided the war.” This strike changed the trajectory of the civil war from a war to save the union to a war to end slavery.It wasn’t until I was a student of political history at Howard University that I learned these truths, and in this quest, became that much more liberated, that much more free. The story of slavery and emancipation I learned before college was more limited, and often obscured the power and agency of enslaved people. But in classrooms across our country today, the ability to teach and learn even the most basic truths about emancipation are vulnerable. Unprecedented attacks on our First Amendment rights to read, learn, and discuss race are widespread, and driven in part by an insistence that white children must not be made to feel the shame or discomfort that may naturally arise with learning our nation’s violent origin story.Du Bois and his revelations, too, were dismissed by many leading historians precisely because of the discomfort that came with learning the more nuanced truth. His meticulous research challenged existing paradigms for understanding how history happened and who the actors were. Instead of the civil war being a battle between military commanders, he uncovered the central role enslaved people played in defeating the South and the fact that they possessed the knowledge of their actions, its purpose, and its effect. The many historians of the day who dismissed Du Bois were vested in portraying the enslaved as docile, inferior, and grateful to the great white emancipator. The erasure of the humanity, political genius, and fortitude of African Americans helped perpetuate the racial subjugation that we are fighting to this day.Those historians have something in common with the legislators across the nation who are introducing and passing classroom censorship bills that restrict discussion about race in schools: fear. Fear not just of the exposure of the atrocities committed by white people during slavery, but fear of the ingenuity, strength and resilience of those who were enslaved and how they defeated an essential structure of oppression. Those who seek to silence the type of knowledge produced by Black people do so because they know knowledge is power. And power is dangerous.Enslaved people’s knowledge of their own freedom, born of their own organized and multifaceted resistance, posed a particular threat to those who sought to silence and capture them. But on June 19, 1865, the rest of the country finally had to learn and acknowledge what many of our ancestors already knew: that they were free.So as we celebrate Juneteenth, let’s remember exactly what we are celebrating, and why. Let’s reject attempts to thwart our right to discuss and learn about structural racism, let’s reject attempts to erase Black people from history and let’s reject censorship. Instead, let us follow the rigorous path led by Du Bois and Glymph. We celebrate our ancestors who secured their own freedom, who manifested their own destiny, and who gave us a clear path to do the same for ourselves. I teach this truth to my children so that they are not misled into thinking our freedom was secured by others and to quash the false impression that we were simply victims, rather than skillful political actors and survivors. Without knowing our true history, we cannot progress as a nation, and we cannot be truly free.
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
Then, after I read the article above, I made another one-time donation to the ACLU in order to show my support for the following statement:
"So as we celebrate Juneteenth, let’s remember exactly what we are celebrating, and why. Let’s reject attempts to thwart our right to discuss and learn about structural racism, let’s reject attempts to erase Black people from history and let’s reject censorship."
–Paul Whiting (written June 19th, 2023 and revised June 20th, 2023)
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June 19th, 2023 Update—Continued, Written On June 20th, 2023: I was doing my usual reading of Time Magazine articles from one of their daily emails that I received yesterday, June 19th, 2023, when I noticed two Time.com articles! (By the way, I am a subscriber to Time INSIDER Digital Magazine.)
The first Time Magazine article that I read today, June 20th, 2023, is titled, "This Juneteenth, We Must Undo the Toxic Narratives Placed on Black People." An introduction to the article can be found below:
"This Juneteenth, We Must Undo the Toxic Narratives Placed on Black People" from Time Magazine
By Alicia M. Walters And Collette Watson | June 19, 2023
This Juneteenth, Black [folks] will gather as we have for decades to celebrate ourselves, our ancestors, all we are, and the joy that abounds. Others will have a day off work and maybe do something meaningful to honor Black people—but our breath is not bated.
More than a cause for celebration, Juneteenth is a reminder that repair is long overdue. We need a call to create a future where this society is free of anti-Blackness; a call to cultivate a world where Black people are thriving in every way.
It’s been three years since Juneteenth became widely known beyond Black America, and yet the discourse around slavery and its legacy has only devolved. The [state] of Florida has banned the teaching of African American history. Books and even poems by Black authors are being pulled from the classroom.
That’s why we cannot let Juneteenth become just another summer day off. Juneteenth must be a moment of deep reflection, truth-gathering, and actionable change, particularly for those in positions of media and cultural power.
On May 6, 2023, the California state reparations task force named media and culture as one of the sectors to be addressed in recommendations for state-level reparations. Narratives of Black inferiority were the pretext for slavery, and those same stories continue to keep us trapped in cycles of systemic discrimination. We believe that Juneteenth is a vital opportunity to understand the past while tenderly cultivating new narratives that center Black truths in three critical steps: ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://time.com/6287828/juneteenth-reparations-media
The second Time Magazine article that I read today, June 20th, 2023, is titled, "When Did Slavery Really End in the U.S.? The Complicated History of Juneteenth." An introduction to the article can be found below:
"When Did Slavery Really End in the U.S.? The Complicated History of Juneteenth" from Time Magazine
By Olivia B. Waxman | (Originally Published) June 15, 2023
The push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, which successfully led to the first national Juneteenth observance last year, brought a new wave of attention to the history behind this celebration: That on June 19, 1865, enslaved men and women in Texas found out—weeks after the Civil War ended—that they were free, and the Union Army’s Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
But the full story was not that simple.
“There are some enslavers in Texas that didn’t tell their enslaved people that they were free, and they had them keep on working,” says Daina Ramey Berry, Professor of History and Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
So then when did slavery actually end in the United States?
There are multiple dates that could be singled out, depending on the geographic location of the enslaved person. The Civil War, fought over slavery, ended in April 1865, but the end of slavery was more like a process, rather than an event that occurred on a particular day. There were some cases of people who escaped to freedom or won their freedom in court years earlier. And Berry argues that the most important date to highlight would be Dec. 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, was ratified by the States, just about a year after it was passed by Congress on Jan. 31, 1865.
Most people outside the scholarly community think slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but that’s a common misconception. ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://time.com/6281737/ai-we-cant-trust-big-tech-gary-marcus
And I decided to highlight these Time Magazine articles for you, my readers, to consider reading too! –Paul Whiting (written June 20th, 2023, revised August 12th, 2023 and revised March 26th, 2024)
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June 19th, 2023 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 20th, 2023: I was doing my oftentimes daily news searches on Google yesterday, June 19th, 2023, when I noticed an article on APNews.com titled, "Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events and quiet reflection on the end of slavery." An introduction to the article can be found below:
"Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events and quiet reflection on the end of slavery" from AP (Associated Press) News
By Bianca Vázquez Toness, Ed White and Adrian Sainz | June 19, 2023
Detroit (AP) — Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War.
While many have treated the long holiday weekend as a reason for a party, others urged quiet reflection on America’s often violent and oppressive treatment of its Black citizens. And still others have remarked at the strangeness of celebrating a federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the nation while many Americans are trying to stop parts of that history from being taught in public schools.
“Is #Juneteenth the only federal holiday that some states have banned the teaching of its history and significance?” Author Michelle Duster asked on Twitter this weekend, referring to measures in Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama prohibiting an Advancement Placement African American studies course or the teaching of certain concepts of race and racism.
Monday’s federal holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued during the bloody Civil War.
On Juneteenth weekend, a Roman Catholic church in Detroit devoted its service to urging parishioners to take a deeper look at the lessons from the holiday.
“In order to have justice we must work for peace. And in order to have peace we must work for justice,” John Thorne, executive director of the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, said to the congregation at Gesu Catholic Church in Detroit.
Standing before paintings of a Black Jesus and Mary, Thorne said Juneteenth is a day of celebration, but it also “has to be much more.”
It was important to speak about Juneteenth during Sunday Mass, the Rev. Lorn Snow told a reporter as the service was ending.
“The struggle’s still not over with. There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said. ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://apnews.com/article/juneteenth-federal-holiday-slavery-celebration-6797a36e52bfdd91b9ac41503d3cef38
And I decided to highlight this AP News article for you, my readers, to consider reading too! –Paul Whiting (June 20th, 2023)
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October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 [My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)
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June 19th, 2024 Update No. 1: In observance of Juneteenth, I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress urging them to pass the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.33/H.J.Res.72), after I did a search on Google for "ACLU Close The Slavery Loophole" and I found a corresponding action on the ACLU website titled, "CONGRESS: END FORCED LABOR IN PRISONS," which can be found below:
Congress: End Forced Labor in Prisons
Despite the fact that many are taught that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude more than 150 years ago, forced, unpaid labor still persists to this day in our country – due in large part to the "exception clause" of the 13th Amendment. This egregious loophole barred slavery except for people who have been convicted of crimes – which has resulted in the forced labor of incarcerated workers across the country and encouraged the continued overcriminalization of Black and Brown people for centuries.
But there’s legislation that could end the "exception clause" once and for all – and we must demand our lawmakers take action on it. So please send a message to Congress and tell them to pass the Abolition Amendment immediately.
Message Recipients: Your U.S. House Representative and Senators
YOUR MESSAGE
Subject: Pass the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.33/H.J.Res.72)
As your constituent, I urge you to support passage of the Abolition Amendment (S.J.Res.33/H.J.Res.72) – which would end slavery and involuntary servitude in all its forms — including forced labor in prisons.
The "exception clause" to the 13th Amendment barred slavery except for people who have been convicted of crimes. This loophole disproportionately encouraged the criminalization and re-enslavement of Black people during the Jim Crow era, gave rise to Black Codes, convict leasing, and chain gangs. Its harm persists today in the form of forced labor, poverty wages, and reliance on mass incarceration that disproportionately impacts people of color.
Put simply: The "exception clause" has allowed for millions of incarcerated workers over the years to be exploited, underpaid, and excluded from workplace safety protection laws – and it has enabled human rights abuses and systemic racism to go on for centuries.
In the land of the free, forced labor is never acceptable. So please, take action immediately to end the exception – and pass the Abolition Amendment.
Sincerely,
[First Name] [Last Name]
YOUR INFORMATION
Salutation (required by some officials): Mr.
First name: Paul
Last name: Whiting
E-mail address: [redacted]
Address: [redacted]
Address Line 2: [redacted]
City: [redacted]
State: [redacted]
Zip Code: [redacted]
Phone: [redacted]
And, after I sent the letter above, I received a confirmation email today, June 19th, 2024, from the ACLU with the subject line, "One more thing - can you spread the word?", which stated the following:
Hi Paul,
Thank you for taking action to defend the rights of incarcerated workers across the country.
Help us build our power: Share the action by forwarding the email below to your friends, or by sharing this link: aclu.org/prisonlabor
Thank you,
The ACLU Team
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Hi friend,
Despite many of us being taught that slavery and involuntary servitude was abolished more than 150 years ago, forced labor still persists in our country.
The “exception clause” in the 13th Amendment states slavery is barred except for people who have been convicted of crimes. And as a result, millions of incarcerated workers – disproportionately Black and Brown people – have been exploited, underpaid, and excluded from workplace safety protection laws over the years.
Forced prison labor is unconscionable: Our federal lawmakers can bring it to an end now by passing the Abolition Amendment.
I just sent a message to Congress telling them to do exactly that. Will you join me?
aclu.org/prisonlabor
Thanks.
Besides that, I also read an excellent article on the ACLU website—that is from June 17, 2021—which is titled, "What Juneteenth Means to Me." A copy of the full article can be found below:
"What Juneteenth Means to Me" from the ACLU of DC
By Natacia Knapper, Senior Organizer | June 17, 2021
On the surface, Juneteenth - also known as Freedom Day - marks the end of slavery in the United States. On, June 19, 1865, military troops went to Galveston, Texas to free the last of the enslaved Black people in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people free two years prior, this reality was kept from a number of areas in the South. Many places, like Galveston, continued to hold and work slaves until troops arrived in the state and read the orders announcing the enslaved people’s freedom.
But that’s just the textbook definition (acknowledging the fact that the history of Juneteenth is often left out of our textbooks). For many years, Juneteenth has been a holiday for the Black community in the South, particularly in Texas. While I grew up in Southern California, I was lucky enough to still celebrate Juneteenth throughout my life, thanks to having an extended family based in Louisiana. Even though I was living in San Diego, my dad made sure to fly us out there for most, if not every Juneteenth, during much of my childhood.
I remember always complaining when I would arrive, suffering through that damp swampy heat, desperate to find any source of cool relief in my great aunt Celia’s big, old, un-air-conditioned house. Also, forcing me into a traditional gender role, Aunty Cee would almost immediately put me to work – going with her to the store, helping her clean and prep the kitchen, making calls to my aunts and cousins to find out what they’d be bringing to the family cookout. However, my frustration and discomfort always seemed to go out the window when the celebration began – a celebration that often began on Juneteenth but would continue for at least a couple of days.
There was usually a crawfish boil, sausage on the grill, tables upon tables of freshly cut watermelon, and endless bottles and pitchers of strawberry soda and homemade strawberry lemonade – an amazing and delicious assortment – but the food was just one part of these gatherings. We played music, we danced, and we’d tell stories. The kids would play games (and sometimes the adults too) and my more extroverted cousins and other kids in the neighborhood would put on little plays. Most importantly, however, Aunty C would have us give affirmations to each other – little notes that we’d write out and give to each other, affirmations about how beautiful it is to be Black. We shared affirmations about our hair, our art, our loudness, our quiet strength, our recipes, our accomplishments (even if the accomplishment was simply surviving in a world that doesn’t want us to). I would sometimes tuck myself into a corner somewhere with a comic book and a soda when things were getting too rowdy, but I loved my family’s Juneteenth celebration because it was rooted in Black joy.
Yes, the day in 1865 is about emancipation and the end of slavery. But Juneteenth, the holiday, is so much more than that.
As I have watched Juneteenth expand beyond the South, especially over the last 10 years or so, I have been so grateful to see how it’s been embraced by the Black community throughout the country. The struggle is real – and the struggle is not removed from the holiday – but what I have always appreciated is that it’s not centered on what we have endured, but on our capacity to love ourselves and each other through it all.
Media loves to capitalize on Black trauma and it’s easy to focus on the ongoing uphill battles Black people have had to climb in the United States – and continue to climb – but at the core the purpose of Juneteenth is to uplift our community. Togetherness and radical love. This is our moment to say, “We’re still here. And we love being Black.” And as a kid, during my Aunty’s parties, the tender talks with my elders, and the shared elation you can only experience with people who understand what we are managing to survive.... that’s when I felt our resilience the most.
Juneteenth isn’t steeped in trauma. It doesn’t ignore our history; it simply allows us the space we deserve to love on each other as Black people.
D.C. has embraced Juneteenth so deeply and so fully that the holiday typically lasts a week – between various community events on Juneteenth’s history, teach-ins on abolition and reparations, happy hours and the day of being filled with so many different celebrations to choose from. This Juneteenth, whether you’re new to the holiday or not, find a list of ways to join in on the joy and learning by visiting Palm Collective’s events page.
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://www.acludc.org/en/news/what-juneteenth-means-me
And, after I sent letters to my U.S. House Representative and Senators in Congress, via the ACLU website, as well as after I read the article above, I also made a donation to the ACLU in order to show my support for passing the Abolition Amendment in celebration of "The Land of the Free," because slavery is just plain wrong. –Paul Whiting (June 19th, 2024)
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June 19th, 2024 Update No. 2: In observance of Juneteenth, I made a donation to the USO (United Service Organizations) today, June 19th, 2024. And I made this donation to the USO based upon an email that I received today, with the subject line, "Honoring Black service members this Juneteenth", which stated the following:
Paul,
Black service members have been overcoming unimaginable barriers to serve since the very first battle of the American Revolution. This Juneteenth, we’re honored to highlight the stories of some of the incredible individuals who went above and beyond in service of our nation.
[Drawing of American Revolution minuteman]
Even before our country was founded, and long before slavery was abolished, enslaved soldier Peter Salem fought in the American Revolution with the minutemen — a small, handpicked, elite force in the colonial militia. Though he proudly served in the first battle of the war at Lexington and Concord, he had to later fight for his freedom to earn the right to continue serving after enslaved people were barred from the militia.
[Photo of Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. in front of fighter plane]
After growing up during segregation, Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. became a pilot and instructor for the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II — the first Black pilots of the U.S. Air Corps. He went on to fly combat missions during the Korean War and the Vietnam War as a fighter pilot.
As a highly decorated hero in three wars, James received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, two Legions of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Meritorious Service Medal and 14 Air Medals. After returning from Vietnam, he served as commander in chief of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) and became the first Black four-star general in the history of our Armed Forces.
In 2021, after more than 40 years of service in the Army, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the first African American secretary of defense of the United States. Today, Black service members continue to protect and defend our country in every branch and at every level, making up about 20% of our active-duty military. Sgt. Michael Wolkeba is one of them, and last year, he was named USO Soldier of the Year for his bravery and actions in a moment of crisis.
[Sgt. Michael Wolkeba speaking in front of USO banner]
While driving home one day, Michael encountered a collision between a motor home and a commercial vehicle. The commercial vehicle had pierced the motor home, trapping an injured elderly couple inside. With no regard for his own safety, Michael climbed through a shattered window and low crawled through the debris and shattered glass to reach the injured woman, who was suffering from a massive leg injury and having trouble breathing. As a trained Army Combat Medic, Michael provided critical emergency medical treatment, ultimately saving the woman’s life.
This Juneteenth, we’re proud to honor and celebrate the Black military heroes throughout our history and actively serving today. Today and always, thank you for standing with us as we support the people serving in America’s military.
DONATE NOW***
—The USO
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
Thus, this donation is my way of "honoring Black service members this Juneteenth." And also I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website in order to support the USO's following statement: "Our service members keep our nation safe. And we wurk hard to keep them connected to home but we can't do that we thout support from matary supporters like you. Our troops are counting on you to be a part of this important work for our country. So please, donate now."
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (June 19th, 2024)
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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 263 was edited on June 19th, 2024.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
