Meme via Liz Kleinrock (IG: teachandtransform)
Today is Juneteenth. If you are Black, I hope you are having a wonderful day of relaxation and celebration. If you are not Black like me, I hope you are reflecting, learning, and donating to Black-led organizations, businesses, artists, mutual aids, and so on.
Here is what I’ve learned about Juneteenth thanks to Lynae Vanee (IG: _lyneezy) and her 3-minute history lesson series Parking Lot Pimpin' (a must watch). I’m almost embarrassed that I didn’t know this, but I am assuming the chances are high that most of my readers don’t know this history either.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, marks when federal troops arrived in Texas in 1865 to control the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed.
This was two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all enslaved people from the 11 Confderate states are free as of January 1st, 1863. Still, leaders and enslavers in Texas withheld this information from the enslaved people. The arrival of Union troops on June 19th informed 250,000 enslaved people of their legal freedom.
As Lynae points out in her video, the way America tells the story of the abolition of slavery positions Abraham Lincoln as the hero who wanted to abolish slavery because it was a moral evil. But that framing is inherently false.
Yes, Lincoln did believe slavery was a moral evil, but the Emancipation Proclamation served as a military strategy for preserving the Union, not as a moral objection to slavery itself.
Lincoln said,
“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or to destroy slavery...if I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.” (History)
Because of slavery, the Confederacy could retain their strength and keep fighting the Union because the enslaved people were forced to support the Confederacy by tending to farms, building canons, cooking for troops, etc. This is why the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to those states. States that did not secede from the Union like Kentucky and Delaware would still have enslaved people until Congress eventually passed the 13th amendment in 1865.
The 13th amendment effectively abolished slavery but with one glaring stipulation,
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Except as a punishment for crime. This condition provided the foundation for our current prison crisis, in which America has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, specifically targeting Black Americans. Brian Kenny from Harvard Business Review’s podcast Cold Call explains the connection,
“1865 also triggered the nation's first prison boom, with surging numbers of Black Americans being thrown into prison, fueled by a wealthy white class unnerved by a sudden shortage of labor and pending post-war recession. It's no coincidence that the Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865. The Black Codes or laws enacted across the southern states in that year would see Black people thrown in prison for such offenses as walking without a purpose or walking at night.” Harvard Business Review.
It’s imperative to watch Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th; scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom to gain further insights into how slavery transformed into oppressive politics, including Jim Crow, voter suppression, the war on drugs, the racial wealth gap, and other facets of white supremacy.
If you don’t already, I strongly encourage you to sign up for Anti Racism Daily. Reading their Juneteenth newsletter this morning reminded me that like other federal holidays such as Thanksgiving, Indigenous People's Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr Day, Juneteenth is a day for both pain and progress and remembering why we commemorate the holiday.
SPACES TO SUPPORT, PARTICIPATE, & CELEBRATE:
Anti Racism Daily: Subscribe to Anti Racism Daily, follow ARD, or give to ARD directly.
Noname Book Club: Noname’s Book Club is dedicated to uplifting POC voices and supporting incarcerated folks with books. Educate yourself by reading from their list and donate monthly through Patreon.
Black Lives Matter - Paterson: BLM Paterson provides community support, workshops, protests, and so much more. Support their youth summer camp initiative here.
Black Men United: Black Men United is a local community group that provides mutual aid and resource distribution to the community-based in Jersey City. Support them through Venmo or Cashapp: blackmenunited1
For The Gworls: Black, trans-led collective fundraises to help Black transgender people pay for their rent, gender-affirming surgeries, medical needs, and travel. Donate here.
The National Bail Out Collective: National Bail Out Collective is a Black-led and Black-centered collective that provides funds and support to bail out Black mothers and caregivers and provides employment opportunities for those they bailout. Support here.
Enjoy your weekend,
Adriana