Juneteenth (Episode 42)

As Shaunna and Lisa predicted, the commercialization of Juneteenth as a national holiday in the U.S. has unfortunately begun. This week on the show, they break down exactly why it is so problematic to view this day as a “holiday” to celebrate for people who do not identify as Black or African American..

To interpret Juneteenth as only a celebration undermines the weight of what we are observing: the notification to enslaved people in Texas they were now free (1865), two years after the Emancipation Proclamation (1863). While this is a positive event, commercializing and celebrating Juneteenth in the way we have done with many U.S. holidays — most notably Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day — side steps (purposefully, perhaps) a very painful and uncomfortable truth: The U.S is built on the enslavement and slaughter of Black, indigenous, and some Asian people before them. For white folks, this should be a contemplative time – a day to acknowledge the extreme discomfort of living in a social, spiritual, and economic system that literally profited off of the enslavement of millions of people for over 250 years. This system of white supremacy upheld a framework of violence, marginalization, and degradation that has lasting reverberations today. It is important for us to understand the history of the day, to acknowledge where we fit into that history, and to contemplate the ways we can make Juneteenth more meaningful than a day off of work or discounted washer/dryer combo.

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