Let’s talk about Juneteenth. It's a little complicated. | hioscar Blog | Oscar
Let’s talk about Juneteenth. It's a little complicated.
Each year, Juneteenth is celebrated in a number of ways all across the U.S.
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Written by Lamont Carolina, Senior Manager of People Experience at Oscar and Lead of Melanin @ Oscar, our Employee Resource Group for employees who identify as a Person of Color (POC).
On January 1,1863 President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared all slaves free in states that were in open rebellion against the Union. States belonging to the Union as well as border states were allowed to continue slavery for the remainder of the Civil War. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865 - nearly two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation - that the last enslaved Africans located in Galveston, TX and their descendants were physically freed from chains.
...sort of.
The Emancipation Proclamation eventually led to the ratification of the 13th Amendment (opens in new tab) in 1865 (and later the 14th (opens in new tab) and 15th (opens in new tab) Amendments), which officially brought an end to slavery in the United States. But I want to note, slavery wasn’t just about subjegation of Black people in America, slavery also generated wealth for Whites by literally building a country on the backs of Blacks. Instead of going away slavery just took on a new form. The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery “...except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted...” That part of the amendment allowed slavery to apply to US prison populations so long as those prisoners in custody had been “convicted of a crime.”
Okay, so slavery existed in America for two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which is terrible. But with the passage of civil rights legislation in Congress, conditions improved for Blacks, right?
For Blacks, a consistent reminder of a broken past.
Most Blacks in America are living with the names of their ancestors' former masters. The thought of it is psychologically debilitating and is one that is a clear reminder that we were considered property. My family's last name is literally “Carolina,” which is the name of a slave holder, apparently a famous one. Erasing the history of the oppressed was and still is an important tool of oppressors. Slavers stripped us Blacks of our native names, history, wealth, lands, religions, and foods and replaced them with what they saw fit.
An untold history.
Before the chains, forced labor, rapes, lynchings, months stuffed and stacked in slave ships, the middle passage, the door of no return (opens in new tab), before all of that dirty history, Black people were queens and kings, hunters, doctors, teachers, musicians, artists, human libraries, storytellers, mathematicians, caretakers of vast lands, and so much more.
Each year, Juneteenth is celebrated in a number of ways all across the U.S. on June 19th and dates back as early as 1865. Elements of African tradition are included such as drum and dance, the pouring of libations (opens in new tab), story telling, and more, while others choose to celebrate with reflection, acknowledgement, and education. However you choose to celebrate Juneteenth, do it with intention and respect for those that came before us whether it is in America or throughout the African diaspora (opens in new tab).
As a descendent of enslaved Africans, Juneteenth is important to me because we survived!
