This article is in honor of Juneteenth Day. If you are not familiar with this new holiday, here is what it means, according to Wikipedia:
Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday’s name is a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth”, as it was on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. Although this date commemorates enslaved people learning of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, this only applied to former Confederate states. There remained legally enslaved people in states that never seceded from the Union. These people did not gain their freedom until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865.
Honestly, remembering the history behind holidays like this makes me a bit sad. I don’t understand slavery or the ensuing prejudices around people of color at all.
We are all one in Spirit! It doesn’t matter what color our skin is or what our nationality may be.
I have a Germanic lineage. Of course, you cannot tell that by looking at me as I am white — which does not make me stand out! But how would I or others of Germanic background feel if we were condemned due to the rise of Hitler, who was German, nearly 100 years ago? I would imagine that, like me, you cannot even imagine that possibility.
So then, why are people of color still discriminated against in today’s society?
I have my own theory that we often separate ourselves from others in society because we don’t understand them. Then, because we don’t understand them, we are afraid of them. I see this a lot with gays, transgenders, and, of course, darker-skinned people.
I feel this way because I lived in San Francisco and was exposed to many different cultures. Although I went to a specialized college in San Francisco, I think I got a more significant education from living in such a diverse city than I ever did during my earlier years.
Looking back on 1970-1971, I am very grateful for the education I received and for living among people who were different from me. I was exposed to more diversity than I had ever seen in my suburban life.
Once again, we are all one in Spirit! If we genuinely believe this, we will be more accepting of others who look or act differently than ourselves. The Juneteenth Day makes me want to be kinder to people who are considered different.