Juneteenth

About 15 years ago I participated in a diocesan workshop recommended for all parishes and individuals. Deacons Carolyn Foster and Tom Osborne, Co-Chairs of the Diocesan Commission on Race Relations, led this training called “Seeing the Face of God in Each Other”. The purpose was to offer “a positive vision of the unity that can be achieved through Christ.” The method was to address any current viewpoints of another culture and to create a deeper awareness and understanding of the African American experience.

Every workshop participant shared with another participant early childhood experiences with people of a different race or ethnicity. We took a “quiz” which included terms and references to black/African American culture. One of the “quiz” questions was “What is Juneteenth?”. Well, this was the first time I had ever heard that reference. This was one of many examples where yours truly who thought she had a pretty good understanding of a lot of different cultures began her journey on the long road to humility.

I learned that on June 19, 1865, the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas where General Granger informed the enslaved people there that they were now free. President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. It took 2 ½ years for all enslaved people in the United States to secure their freedom from bondage. The 13th Amendment (ratified December 6, 1985) officially abolished slavery in every state.

For over a hundred years Black Americans have been celebrating June 19 as Juneteenth, Freedom Day, with barbeques and family gatherings. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

I find that I am always learning something new about our complex history of the United States. Jonathan Daniels pilgrimages, visits to the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, the Equal Justice Institute, the Legacy Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, and worshipping with our African American siblings continue to deepen my appreciation and understanding of the rich and complicated history of the South in particular and of our country overall.

My prayer is that we all continue to open our minds to understand the “other” and the journeys they may have traveled and to open our hearts with the love of Christ to welcome the “other” so we can truly see the face of God in each other.

Pentecost Blessings,

Judy Q+