Juneteenth at year two marked by commercial, political challenges

Juneteenth is facing new challenges as it marks its second federal birthday on Monday in the form of both political attacks on the need to understand Black history and diversity, and the mixed emotions of becoming a more commercial holiday.

Over the last three years, policymakers in 45 states have proposed 283 laws restricting what teachers can say about race, racism and American history, according to the Washington Post.

Some of these laws include language that would forbid any teachings that could cause a student to feel “anguish, guilt, or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the holiday is leading to some mixed emotions as scores of Juneteenth products, from apparel to paper plates and party supplies, underscore the growing commercialism surrounding June 19^th.

Both aspects show the importance of Juneteenth in different ways.

 “One of the things that Black history and heritage does for the country is it lists a large populace of people who have truly contributed so much to the building of our country,” said David Anderson, author and founder of Gracism Global.

“Juneteenth, it’s about being honest. We cannot understand our country without being honest about where it’s come from, where it is now, and where it needs to go. And I think that honoring, celebrating and being gracious would allow all of us to move forward in unity instead of being so divided.”

Juneteenth, which celebrates the day slavery officially ended in America, became a federal holiday in 2021 after decades of pressure from grassroots activists.

The holiday was approved in a unanimous Senate vote and a bipartisan 415-14 House vote; the 14 “no” votes were all from Republicans. Some argued the holiday was divisive; others said it was too costly.

There are continued challenges today.

Books delving into the Black experience and history, such as Ruby Bridges Goes to School, about the first Black student to integrate a New Orleans school, are being banned. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the GOP presidential nod, in February stopped an advanced placement African Americans studies course from running in his state’s public schools. 

Black scholars argue Juneteenth is an important date to tell the entire history of the United States — particularly given present events.  

“Just because we were freed in 1865 doesn’t mean we always enjoyed freedom,” Sue Johnson, founder and executive director of Galveston’s Nia Cultural Center, told The Hill. 

Historians like Sam Collins say the history of the holiday is important because though it does show dark chapters of abuse, violence and slavery, it can also share the many success stories that have not been told. 

That includes recognizing the contributions of people like the United States Colored Troops, who helped bring the message of freedom to the people of Galveston, Texas.

States with laws banning instruction on items that could invoke feelings of guilt misunderstand that Juneteenth could be looked at as an exercise in repair, Collins said. 

“I’m not interested in anybody’s guilt – guilt is a luxury that we can no longer afford. I know you didn’t do it, and I didn’t do it, either. But I am responsible for it because I’m a man and a citizen of this country and you are responsible for it for the very same reason,” said Collins.  

“I’m interested in doing the repair work to a false narrative that has been pushed on us for many decades and years — an incomplete story. We have to acknowledge that the complete story has not been told.”

The United States tends to commercialize its holidays, and Juneteenth has been no exception.

Though 50 percent of Black Americans like brands to include cultural holidays in their advertising, according to a study by Collage Group, 30 percent of Black Americans also tend to be suspicious of brands’ motivations for doing so.

Daryn Dodson, managing partner at Illumen Capital, an impact fund working to address systemic inequity, said the rebuttal of commercializing Juneteenth could stem from the financial and economic inequities that have pushed Black Americans into poverty for decades despite the supposed message of freedom. 

“The backbone of the global financial system and the economy within the United States was created with African Americans on the asset management sheet,” he said. “Although slavery ended, in one way, that financial system that reinforced it has changed very little in terms of the investments that are managed by women and people of color.” 

Women and people of color makeup 1.3 percent of financial markets, contributing between $82 and $84 trillion to the global financial markets. This begs the question, Dodson said, why 99 percent of these markets are still dominated by white men.

But that’s why Juneteenth could be a perfect day to begin educating others and addressing these disparities, said Anderson of Gracism Global.

“I’m not mad if a company commercializes Juneteenth,” said Anderson. “What I want you to do, I want you to make that money and make a decision that you’re going to give to a Black-owned organization. Give 60 percent of your profits from that day to Black-owned organizations.”

But he also wants other consumers to educate themselves, even just for one day, by patronizing only Black-owned stores, restaurants and banks.

“Having to do that for a day would give you a sense of … what Black people have to go through in order to survive and succeed,” he said. “I have to go through white people in order to survive and succeed. I can’t not go to white people in order to survive. I can’t get a mortgage. I can’t get an education. My white brothers and sisters actually don’t have to go to Black people at all.” 

“What that would do is show how woefully underrepresented Blacks are in so many of the institutions upon which we build our lives,” he added. “Juneteenth gives us an opportunity to really help people emphasize so that they can heal with us and so we can heal together.”

Leaders like Johnson, from the Nia Cultural Center, are finding new ways to educate youth on the importance of the day. 

Johnson’s group has started the Defense Fund Freedom School in Galveston, a summer literacy program based on the civil rights movement. The students learn not only about Juneteenth, but other aspects of Black history that are often untaught in schools, Johnson said.

That means immersing the students in history with biographies and autobiographies of Black people. At the end of the program, Johnson said, the students often leave with a newfound sense of pride and confidence in themselves and their culture.

“Juneteenth tells us who we are, where we’ve been, where we are, where we still must go and we still must be,” said Johnson. “So Juneteenth is important because it gives us a starting point to look at and analyze and explain not only the problems of the past, but it also positions us to see patterns that might otherwise be invisible right now in the present. It provides a crucial perspective for understanding and solving current and future problems.”