This for me, may be one of the most pivotal and politically unrivaled quotes in all of movie history. And still, these emotional words spoken in a New England courtroom hold true as a fervent demand even today.
Many of us were rendered speechless this week at learning that the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act had passed both the Senate and The House (14 Republican descents notwithstanding) before being signed into law as a federal holiday by President Biden. In the wake of a horrific 2020 and the social and racial reckoning that ensued, I can admit to feeling hopeful and optimistic that Americans were finally starting to “get it.” Still, I have been black on these shores for a long time, so for as hopeful as I felt at witnessing the long-overdue recognition of the day commemorating the end of slavery for all in the United States, a part of me is wondering if this gesture will facilitate more meaningful change in this country’s attitudes toward race and equality.
For starters, as much as I’d love the whole of the nation to look at today as a celebration of liberation, let’s just be clear that the president (or Congress for that matter) has never invoked rules to declare a holiday that all 50 states had to be bound to (shout out to South Dakota for declining their Juneteenth invitation and of course Arizona’s continuous ghosting of MLK until 1993). Couple that with the fact that many businesses are already on the commercialization fast track, and you’d understand my annoyed deep sigh and cynical eye roll.
No, a Hockey Team’s Mascot biting through shackles does not excuse the atrocities of African enslavement in this country.
A North Carolina plantation’s (now cancelled) Juneteenth Program highlighting the story of Massa as a displaced white refugee after the war equally (and more grossly) misses the mark.
A popular retailer encouraging black influencers to buy the brand’s themed apparel as a part of their Juneteenth Campaign also seems significantly hollow.
Sure, I agree that if the expectation is for real and substantive change to occur, then there is a measure of grace that has to be extended to those who are attempting to roll up their sleeves. But, performative, tone deaf, or unauthentic posturing is not the answer, and should not be lionized. As significant as I think Juneteenth is, a federal holiday was not fabricated on my Black American Bingo Card (since I was already swapping it for July 4th and/or just taking PTO).
The notable murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd last year had everyone including the dominant culture really reassessing racial justice in America. Unfortunately, responses like (some) realtor associations no longer using the term “master” to describe a home’s primary bedroom or a sports league committing $250M over 10-years to combat systemic racism while continuing to ostracize athletes who stood (or knelt) against the same inequalities before it was popular to do so, just falls flat.
If the goal is to honor the liberation of America’s enslaved people, I’d think overhauling the sort of racism that is embedded within laws and regulations throughout this country and that have led to injustices like police violence against unarmed black people, an ever-growing wealth gap and significant healthcare disparities—all disproportionately effecting the descendants of those people—would seem like a great place to start.
Sengbe Pieh (aka Joseph Cinque) is me.
Stop mollifying me.
“Give us, us free.”
fiscalsis
Executive Professional and impassioned entrepreneur. Seeking to financially empower women both in the workplace and world-space
