The Politics of Juneteenth
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If you Google today “When were the last slaves freed?” Juneteenth articles will instantly pop up. Juneteenth is now a federally recognized holiday. There are parades, events at the White House, the bank is closed, and workers are getting holiday pay. But Juneteenth has caused some controversy.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, questioned why June 19 was selected as a holiday to celebrate freedom rather than a date surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation or the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Twitter user Corey Richardson said it was, “Because June 19th was when the last of us were free. We aren’t free until we’re all free.”
When I pointed out that President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware, which he positively referred to as a “slave state,” had slaves after Juneteenth, I was called a “coon” and accused of simping for white supremacy.
If the immediate effect of Juneteenth being a holiday is collective ignorance, I think we’ve got a problem. Juneteenth is indeed a day of celebration for emancipated slaves, but that’s because news of the Civil War ending was slow to reach Galveston, TX. While Juneteenth is a new holiday to most, Texans were celebrating it locally. And it’s not new to me; Republicans in Michigan celebrated it. After all, they’re the party of emancipation.
But many conservative figures on the Right are annoyed or even angry about the elevation of Juneteenth to a federal holiday. Candace Owens called it a “ghetto” holiday, and Charlie Kirk accused Juneteenth of being far more sinister. “It’s about creating a summertime, race-based competitor two weeks before July 4th, which should be the most unifying civic holiday on the calendar.”
There is merit to Kirk’s suspicions. The elevation of Juneteenth came at a time of a racial reckoning in the United States, and growing division was directed at symbols of American unity: the flag and our anthem. I’ve certainly heard comments such as “This is our real Independence Day. I’m not celebrating the Fourth of July.”
But another big tip? Kirk points out, “The bill was called the National Independence Day Act on purpose.”
I’ve also been accused of trying to destroy a “black holiday” by pointing out that Juneteenth isn’t the day slavery ended. Is this a “black holiday” or is it a day for all Americans to celebrate a significant ethical leap forward in our nation’s history?
Fortunately, social media warriors aren’t necessarily representatives of everyday Americans. I attended a Juneteenth festival last year and plenty of black Americans said they intended to celebrate both holidays, and they said July 4th was still important. I have no doubt race-baiters may have intended to use Juneteenth for a woke agenda, but that doesn’t mean it inevitably has to tear down our shared unity on Independence Day.
Juneteenth isn’t going to be undone, especially not anytime soon. And just like “Lift Every Voice” means something to many black Americans, Juneteenth means something to many Texans who slowly spread the custom to other states. Conservatives who are having trouble warming up to the idea have a few options: they can ignore the holiday, celebrate it like everyone else, or continue presenting it as a Republican holiday for political purposes. The other option is to be angry about it and rain on everyone’s parade. Outrage culture might lead to lots of clicks and social engagement, but fighting Juneteenth doesn’t appear to be a viable path forward.
Besides, there’s a great conservative message to fight wokeness within the story of Juneteenth: liberty means nothing if you don’t know you’re free. It’s also a good time to remind our fellow citizens of the moral failings of the past and relate them to the moral failings of today, just as Frederick Douglass did in his “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July” speech. He reverenced the founders and our constitution while challenging the American people to be better, and conservatives should do the same.
