As we celebrate Juneteenth this year, I wanted to share a bit about the holiday and how my family celebrates. For those of you who don’t know, June 19th is a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Many people think enslaved Black people were freed when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, but unfortunately, many remained enslaved as the news of the proclamation had not reached them. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that a Union army general announced the proclamation of freedom to those enslaved in Texas.
I learned about Juneteenth after seeing one of my Black friends post about it on Facebook. Their post said, “Happy Juneteenth!” I quickly Googled it because I didn’t want to look stupid and ask them what it was.
After I read up on the holiday, I quickly added a Happy Juneteenth post to my own Facebook timeline. The next year came around, and I saw the Juneteenth episode of “Black-ish”; in that episode, Dre teaches his coworkers about the holiday and we see the story unfold in a School House Rock style cartoon that features The Roots. I thought it was great, and I shared it to my Facebook along with a Happy Juneteenth message.
So every year, I post about Juneteenth. Sometimes, I add articles or videos about it. I never learned about it in school, so I figured I could help educate some of my friends along the way.
In 2019, I became a foster mom. The sweet toddlers in our home are Black. My husband and I are keenly aware of the importance of exposing our foster kids to their culture and heritage. The importance of connecting them to role models and friends who look like them. And last year, in the midst of a pandemic which isolated our family and during the unrest that our country experienced in the wake of George Floyd’s death, I knew my “Happy Juneteenth!” post was not enough.
I wanted to do more. I wanted my family to celebrate Juneteenth just as we would the 4th of July. It doesn’t feel right to only celebrate an Independence Day that only offered independence to white men. So, I planned a cookout. This was going to be our first time getting together as an extended family since the lock down. We got the measuring tape out to make sure the three tables for the three families in attendance were 6 feet apart. We wore masks anytime we got up from our seats. It was such a bizarre gathering.
Instead of grilling, we ordered food from a Black-owned restaurant in Lee’s Summit called Unk’s. (We love Unk’s 10/10 would recommend.) I told my husband I wanted to give a little speech before dinner. He thought that was awkward. I told him I didn’t care. I wanted to say something about the importance of this day and why we celebrate.
Before we ate, I stood up and explained what Juneteenth commemorates. Then I read the poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes. It is short, but powerful. My mother cried—she has always been a very emotional person. Then, I asked for someone to pray over our food, and we enjoyed the rest of our evening.
I didn’t want to make the event too somber. I wanted it to be a celebration of freedom. But I also wanted us to be reminded why we celebrate. So our kids played in the yard with their cousin, and we sat at the tables, 6 feet apart chatting about life. It was just like any other holiday (with a few added COVID precautions), but this was our first time celebrating it together.
I know that I have more to learn. And being anti-racist means I have to be willing to get it wrong sometimes. I am just a person who is trying. Trying to do more for my kids. Trying to care about the things that really matter. This year, we will take our kids to the Juneteenth Heritage Festival on 18th and Vine. Then, we’ll have another cookout. I plan to buy a bunch of white flowers, from a Black-owned shop, because the first celebrations of Juneteenth included carriages covered in white flowers. I’ll put the sprinklers on for the kids to run through just like we did last year.
I hope that my kids will look forward to Juneteenth every year. I hope it will be a day where they get to play and celebrate and honor their ancestors who fought for freedom.
If you haven’t observed Juneteenth in the past, why not start a new tradition? Take the opportunity to teach your children about the day enslaved people were granted their freedom. And remind them that there is still work to do. And we should always fight for the oppressed.
To learn more about the Juneteenth celebration in Kansas City click here. To view actual photos taken at some of the earliest Juneteenth celebrations click here.
