Jubilee!
I had been celebrating Juneteenth long before I realized it.
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, with fond memories of my family — and all the Black families in my neighborhood — driving to the park on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens on a Saturday in June to use the public grills, listen to music, and play games. We’d be up super early, like at 6 am, to beat the traffic, grab a grill, and be there all day. It was a blast!
Back in my day, it was all about boom boxes, and everyone would take turns on their boom box and get to do a little bit of what we now call a playlist. We’d listen to the classics: Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, and even gospel music. There was dancing and conversations about the old times living Down South. The kids would be getting a game of baseball going, tag, and if there was a good wind, we’d fly kites.
However, it wasn’t until I was interning at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, during college, that I learned about the legacy of Juneteenth – it was my awakening. Whether I realized it or not, we were always ritualized around Juneteenth. It was in our family’s DNA to celebrate, even if they didn’t tell us much about it.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, memorializes June 19, 1865. On this day, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved Black people that slavery was formally abolished by President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Still, two and a half years later, Black people in Galveston toiled under the horrors of slavery until Union soldiers came to enforce the President’s order.
Since that date, Black folks – especially African Americans – recognize Juneteenth as an opportunity to commemorate the resilience of their ancestors and the ongoing struggle for racial equity. From sharing family stories to sipping on red drinks that symbolize the perseverance of their predecessors, Juneteenth ushers in unique ways to celebrate the monumental impact that Black communities have had on the United States and beyond.
I was recently in debate with a friend who believes Juneteenth is a local holiday that does not warrant a national holiday. I see my friend’s point but think that Juneteenth has the capacity to touch us all in different ways and across generations and time. We have few monuments and national days of remembrance centered on the noisiness of freedom. Juneteenth is one. It is a meditation on freedom embodied in our moments of awakening, as a country. It is also about our obligation to remember struggles and the vigilance freedom demand. It is a permission slip for us to come to know each other and the contours of each others’ lives. And, it marks the second day of independence for many.
I choose to celebrate these struggles and strive to keep the spirit of being on Francis Lewis Boulevard in my heart and alive by celebrating with others, remembering, and making a toast to Jubilee, every day.
Jubilee!
Kenn Elmore
President
* This is a redux of a previously sent message in June 2021
Riffin' On Main Street Video Series Watch President Elmore connect with the Franklin community in Franklin, MA All Access-TV's "Riffin on Main Street" videos.
