7/23/2023 0 Comments Galveston daily news obituaryIsn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.” It absolutely is a part of your experience. “I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,” Brown said. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race, said there’s no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth because you have no personal ties or you’re not Black. Drinks like fruit punch and red Kool-Aid may make an appearance at the table.ĭOES HOW YOU CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH MATTER IF YOU AREN'T BLACK?ĭr. A Juneteenth menu might incorporate items like barbecued ribs or other red meat, watermelon and red velvet cake. Red symbolizes the bloodshed and sacrifice of enslaved ancestors. For those who want to look back, plenty of organizations and universities host panels to remind people of Juneteenth’s history.ĪRE THERE SPECIAL FOODS SERVED ON JUNETEENTH?Īside from barbecue, the color red has been a through line for Juneteenth food for generations. There also are concerts and fashion shows to highlight Black excellence and creativity. Within those festivals, you’ll likely find access to professionals in health care, finance and community resources. Some are more carnival-esque festivals with food trucks, arts and crafts and parades. Search online and you will find a smorgasbord of gatherings in major cities and suburbs all varying in scope and tone. WHAT KIND OF PUBLIC JUNETEENTH EVENTS ARE GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTRY? “If I can unite Father’s Day and Juneteenth to be with my family and honor them, that would be wonderful,” he said. If anything, Anderson is thinking about the fact it’s Father’s Day this weekend. In the South, the day can vary based on when word of Emancipation reached each state.Īnderson has no special event planned other than giving his employees Friday and Monday off. It wasn’t a celebration of history.”įor many African Americans, the farther away from Texas that they grew up increased the likelihood they didn’t have big Juneteenth celebrations regularly. Even if you heard about it and knew about it, you didn’t celebrate it,” Anderson said. “I think many folks haven’t known about it - who are even my color as an African American male. WHAT IF YOU'VE NEVER CELEBRATED JUNETEENTH?Īnderson, 57, of Columbia, Maryland, never did anything on Juneteenth in his youth. What I want to do is give everyday people a choice.” “I don’t want to make people feel guilty about that. King, I’ll watch what’s on the television, and I’m gonna rest,’” Anderson said. There are a lot of other people who are just ‘I appreciate Dr. “Just like the Martin Luther King holiday, we say it’s a day of service and a lot of people will do things. David Anderson, a Black pastor and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting firm helping leaders navigate conversations bridging divides across race and culture. The important thing is to make people feel they have options on how to observe the occasion, said Dr. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off. Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. But, there was so many beautiful activities.” And it was about freedom because what we understood is that we were emancipated from slavery. “It’s where I began to really see Black unity because I realized that that was the one day that African Americans considered ours,” Freeman said. You could go to anyone’s house and be welcomed to join in the feast, which could include grilled chicken and beef and other regional cuisines - jerk meats, fried fish, Jamaican plantains. A comedian who is producing Galveston’s first ever Juneteenth Comedy Festival on Saturday, he has vivid memories of smoke permeating his entire neighborhood because so many people were using their barbecue pits for celebratory cookouts. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of restrictive measures, known as “Black Codes,” enforced in Confederate states, controlling whether liberated slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship and other aspects of daily life.Īlan Freeman, 60, grew up celebrating Juneteenth every year in Houston, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Galveston. In the beginnings of the holiday celebrated as Black Americans' true Independence Day, the outdoors allowed for large, raucous reunions among formerly enslaved family, many of whom had been separated. Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and barbecues. ![]() IS JUNETEENTH A SOLEMN DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OR MORE OF A PARTY?
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