Juneteenth | Graphic by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
With Juneteenth coming up on Monday, Wright State students speak about the holiday and why recognition and education remains important.
History of the holiday
Juneteenth is on Monday, June 19, and acknowledges the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 other Union troops announced that 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas were free. This day came two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Melina Abdullah, the co-director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, highlights the work of Black people who fought against slavery and remain steadfast in advocacy today.
“As this celebration of hard-won Black freedom makes its way into the mainstream, let’s be sure that we reckon with the history of American chattel slavery, honor the Black freedom fighters who brought its end, maintain the integrity of Juneteenth as a Black self-determined celebration and commit ourselves fully to the continued struggle for reparations and freedom,” Abdullah wrote in a BLM release.
Student voices
Kayla Spearman is a public relations chair of the Black Student Union, director of marketing and public relations in the Association of Black Business Students, which focuses on lifting up African American students in a business setting and gaining a community in the corporate world, and street team in the African American Residential Caucus.
Spearman described Juneteenth for the newly emancipated Black people in America, gleaning a sense of hope and freedom.
“That was a light at the end of a tunnel that they thought was never going to end, and so that was a step for them, and that was their hope for a better world in a better community,” Spearman said. “It was when they were emancipated and they were freed.”
Tymere Tuck is the president of Black Men on the Move, an organization that focuses on brotherhood and professionalism through developing leadership skills and offering networking opportunities. Tuck is also a part of the Black Student Union as the freshman council leader. For both Spearman and Tuck, Juneteenth is a celebration that takes precedence.
“I celebrate Juneteenth more than I celebrate the Fourth of July,” Tuck said. “It is like our Independence Day.”
Spearman echoed these sentiments, explaining the personal significance of Juneteenth.
“It was basically a sense of culture because I didn't really grow up learning about my culture in school at all,” Spearman said. “It was kind of the sense of, ‘Wow, there's a lot that I don't know about my culture,’ and so this kind of lets me incorporate some of what people have struggled to get us to the point we are today.”
Juneteenth marks an important day in the history of Black people in the United States, which is something that should not be forgotten, according to Tuck.
“I feel like there's something that you shouldn't forget. I feel like that's something that's very important because that marks when change was really starting to start,” Tuck explained.
Tuck believes that it is important to recognize Juneteenth in younger spaces to more fully understand the significance of the day. While having seen progress in racial justice, Tuck explains a need to continue doing more.
“I've seen progress little by little, but more progress can always be made,” Tuck said. “I feel like more conversations help.”
Spearman encourages students to enter spaces with an open mind and a willingness to learn, even if discomfort arises.
“If things feel awkward and you are confronting the awkwardness head on, that's a step in the right direction for you growing as a person, and it's all in personal growth,” Spearman said.
Spearman attributes positivity to learning about and celebrating the holiday and says all are welcome to join the celebration, advising that all people should remain respectful in doing so.
Celebration opportunities in Dayton
Juneteenth celebration at Liberation Park
There will be educational and celebratory events at Liberation Park on June 17 from 9 a.m. to dusk.
“The park will be transformed into a lively and welcoming atmosphere where people of all ages can come together to celebrate the historical significance of Juneteenth,” the event description reads.
Liberation Park is located in Dayton on the corner of North Broadway Street and Superior Avenue.
Rebirth Brass Band at the Levitt Pavilion
On June 17 at 5 p.m., opening ceremonies commemorating Juneteenth will begin with the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band taking the stage at 7 p.m., according to the Levitt Pavilion website.
“[Rebirth Brass Band’s] trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while weaving a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and the sounds from the streets they grew up on,” the venue’s website reads.
Celebrating freedom at the Fraze Pavilion
At the Fraze Pavilion on June 19 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a free family event with Luv Locz Experiment, a Dayton-based reggae, funk and soul band, Faheem Curtis-Khidr, a local researcher and faculty member at Sinclair Community College, and minority-owned businesses from the area, according to the Fraze Pavilion website.
