It is such a monumental event, the Smithsonian calls it America’s second Independence Day. Today, all states except Hawaii and the Dakotas (North and South) recognize Juneteenth as a state or ceremonial holiday. On Wednesday, Congress passed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
In Ohio, Senate Bill 78, a bipartisan piece of legislation, would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday, a proposition I find ironic. On one hand, some lawmakers want to stifle discussion on racial equality by demonizing critical race theory to appease a base that doesn’t even know what it is; others want to pass a bill that would result in that very discussion, which includes America’s systematic role in subjugating Black and other peoples of color.
I’m not going to try to make sense of that, just like I won’t try to make sense of people who believe in Bigfoot (one in four Americans!).
If we’re going to make Juneteenth a holiday, we need to make it one that matters, not one that’s diminished with meaning and doesn’t extend beyond backyard cookouts and a day at the pool.
How many people really celebrate Independence Day for its intent? Not that many. The National Retail Federation frames July 4 as how much money people will spend. Only one in four Americans say they will, in part, recognize the historical importance of the day, according to a poll by Statistica. And a Marist poll shows 23% of people don’t even know who we got our independence from.
Yikes!
Labor Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day. Columbus Day, Thanksgiving — with stores open and football all day — have devolved into days that mean little more than a day off or an excuse to overeat.
To me, there are only four holidays that remain revered — Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Mother’s Day; Veteran’s Day; and Christmas (and with commercialization, that one’s hanging on by a thread).
On MLK Day there are lots of meaningful discussions on civil rights, legacy, how Dr. King would bring people together in an era of polarization. TV networks broadcast specials and newspapers provide coverage and analysis. It is only one day, but it’s a day of coming to grips with how we try to live up to his ideals and become a better society. We should do that every day.
Mother’s Day goes without saying. It is the one day it feels to me like the world stops, and it should. Where would we all be without our moms?
I still see so many people thanking veterans for their service that I like to think we haven’t lost sight of what that day means. And we shouldn’t. Ever.
Christmas has long been the No. 1 holiday, so no need to go there.
Juneteenth needs to be in that stratosphere. It needs to build on the importance of MLK Day and talk about how far we’ve come as a country and how far we still need to go. Freeing the slaves does not free us from the bondage of our own biases, doesn’t free us from trying to pass bills that would make it harder to talk about slavery and its lasting impact.
Here’s a quick example: Black people couldn’t legally own land until 1866 — just over five generations ago — and states and lending institutions spent more than a century either prohibiting sales or redlining. The Fair Housing Act wasn’t passed until 1968. Racial covenants banning the sale of property to Black people were commonplace until about 1970, and — get this — are still found in property deeds (though unenforceable).
In the meantime, white people were able to buy where they wanted and build home equity that could be passed from generation to generation, contributing to today’s stunning wealth gap.
That is not white shaming or trying to pin blame on the people of today; that’s how the world worked, and if we don’t confront it, we can’t change it.
There are lots of Juneteenth celebrations today, including in this area, with parades, music, vendors and food. We should celebrate. But I’m hoping we can use this occasion for meaningful dialogue that moves us forward.
Our Second Independence Day should not become like the First.
Ray Marcano is the Interim Ideas and Voices Editor at the Dayton Daily News. He can be reached at raymarcanoddn@gmail.com.
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