SIUE Black Faculty and Staff Association Draws Attention to Juneteenth
In a time where there are race-related protests, scrutiny of culturally sanctioned racism and a resurgence in cries for black equality, the observance of Juneteenth (June 19) in America is getting a wider audience than ever before. Multiple companies, including Nike and Target, have announced that they will either honor or recognize Friday, June 19 as a paid holiday for their employees this year, as a sign of support for the Black community. In Texas, Juneteenth has been a state holiday since 1980.
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) is celebrating the day and wants to shine light on the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
It was on June 19, 1865 that Texas slaves heard that they were free. Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston with news of the end of the war and their liberation. President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was official Jan. 1, 1863, had little impact on Texans because of the small amount of Union troops to enforce the executive order. However, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered in April 1865, Granger’s regiment was strong enough to overcome the resistance. Texas was one of the last states to liberate its slaves.
“Today, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings,” according to juneteenth.com.
“Juneteenth is our Independence Day as Black Americans, not July 4th,” said BFSA President Lakesha Butler, PharmD, BCPS, clinical professor in the School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacy Practice. “My ancestors were not free in 1776 when July 4th was first observed to celebrate the ‘birth of American independence.’”
“Juneteenth is a great historical observance,” said Anthony Cheeseboro, PhD, associate professor in the Department of History. “This significant event meant that African Americans knew that slavery was over, and that they would now have power over their own lives.”
“I am from Texas, so I have known about Juneteenth since birth,” said School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Dean Robin Hughes, PhD.
“As a native Texan, Juneteenth has always been a bittersweet holiday for me,” said J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and BFSA president-elect. “While it is unrealistic that Texas, a state that succeeded from the Union, would enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, it’s sad to think that for more than two years enslaved Black people had a legal claim to freedom, that they were either unaware of or unable to exercise without the threat of death or retribution.”
The facts of Juneteenth are still not widely known throughout the country.
“I am sad to say that I did not learn about Juneteenth until I took an African-American studies elective as a college student,” said Butler. “The falsification of American history is a blatant example of systemic racism. In grade school, slavery was never discussed due to the ideology of white supremacy.”
“Juneteenth reminds me of economic inopportunity, and why Black people in Texas and other places in the U.S. have to struggle to gain an inch, fiscally speaking,” added Hughes. “Juneteenth reminds me that systemic racism plays a huge role in generational wealth. It also shows me that institutions are still working as if it is normal to discriminate, because of their many rules and policies that were framed around white supremacy.”
“Juneteenth is an important marker in U.S. history,” interjected Snipes. “It’s the day that the country moved closer to becoming a more perfect union by emancipating the formerly enslaved. Also, I draw on the Sankofa bird that paradoxically moves forward while looking back. If we do not remember our collective racial past, we cannot move forward as a country.”
“Juneteenth should be a holiday,” said Butler. “If we say that Black lives matter here, the celebration of my freedom should not be an afterthought.”
“Juneteenth as a holiday would complement July 4, as they both focus on citizenship and freedom,” added Cheeseboro.
While Hughes agrees that Juneteenth should be a holiday, she stresses that there is still work to be done. “An attempt to end any form of oppression should be more than symbolic gestures. When systems continue to operate nuanced and imbedded in white supremacy and racism, then there is really no end to the mental trauma inflicted on Black individuals and people of color,” she said. “Ceremoniously we marked an end to the legal institution of slavery, but we are still in spaces that reek of white supremacy. Sometimes holidays become well-meaning gestures that make some folks feel good. These gestures often times become pomp and circumstance only.”
“I would encourage all of the SIUE community to educate yourselves on the history of Juneteenth,” encouraged Butler, “and ensure that this history is not lost by sharing it with at least your children and family. I would also urge people to advocate for the historical narrative in schools to change by facing the gruesome history of this country and teaching the truth.”
“If there is commitment from all of humanity to do better—to do what is right and equitable and end systemic racism—that should be the goal,” noted Hughes. “This takes lots of time and effort. I think that’s what we are doing at SIUE. It will be difficult, but if we are serious about equity, and specifically making changes to systemic policies and procedures that sustain white supremacy, then we will truly bring liberty and justice to all.”
Photo: Dating back to June 19,1865, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in Texas, making it one of the last states in the country to be free.
