Juneteenth!

Today’s blog is about Juneteenth.

And it’s going to be short.

For several reasons—one, maybe a 41 year old white dude isn’t the one to be writing a think pieces on Juneteenth. Two, like many 41 year white dudes, I’m late to the Juneteenth party.

Though, I have to say, it’s no fault of my own.

I wasn’t really taught about Juneteenth in school. Maybe they mentioned it once. Maybe it was one of those pop out boxes in the corner of our text books. The little Factoids they put in there which I’ve come to realize the older I get is probably where most of the actual truth was located.

It wasn’t a part of the yearly scholastic conversation. It wasn’t given the same weight as the Emancipation Proclamation or the Appomattox Courthouse or other key moments of the Civil War. It wasn’t until five or six or seven years ago that Juneteenth became as etched in my memory as these other key historical dates. And I’m an interested party! I read! I follow the news! It’s just a great example of how many things we as a nation can shove under the rug.

I’m just glad it happened. I’m glad Juneteenth is now such a major part of our national conversation that it auto populates on my iCal.

I suppose that’s progress.

Because it’s an important lesson. Of how powerful knowledge is. That it can literally set you free. It’s also another example of what monsters humans can be, keeping the fact that we have been set free away from each other. Also that change doesn’t happen just because those people at the top say it does. That laws are only as real as our willingness to abide by them. That is especially resonate to me today, when I see people at the very top act like laws and subpoenas don’t apply to them. Without our knowledge and acceptance of the laws, it’s just the strong preying on the week. I can think of few things more American, and less Christian, than that.

Happy Juneteenth!