Toni Greathouse: Understanding history of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June and 19 commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Slavery was abolished when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. At that time, Civil War was raging due infighting between northern and southern states. Each was bitterly divided over economic and political shifts in power.

It would be folly to assume civil war was predicated by the freedom of slaves. Biographical depictions of Lincoln have proven slavery was leveraged to break the back of the South.

Although slavery was abolished on Jan. 1, 1863 – the revelatory news did not reach enslaved Texans until two and half years later, on June 19, 1865. This blatant injustice is how Juneteenth got its name.

It literally took the Calvary riding down to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. That day, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and announced to the crowd: “In accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

The following year on June 19, 1866, Blacks in Galveston, Texas, marked the first anniversary with a picnic. A year after that on June 19, 1867, the Freedman’s Bureau in Austin, Texas, organized an event to reflect on the past and rejoice in the present. Over the years, traditional Juneteenth celebrations (largely held in the South) were coordinated around picnics and family gatherings. As Juneteenth celebrations spread, they have been expanded to emphasize education and achievement through formal programs featuring entertainment and guest speakers.

In a biblical context, the good book has documented evidence of the inhumanity of slavers since the beginning of time. Yet the 1700s will live in infamy as a dark period where slavery was harnessed to solidify America’s economic foundation.

The unvarnished truth is that the continent of Africa served as the primary place to steal people of color simply because they could be easily identified. What we know now is, after being captured and transported like goods, Africans were forced to acclimate to the language, systems and culture of colonizers. Post American resettlement, slaves were deemed property, denied dignity and forced to erase every trace of pride, heritage and home.

Summarily, the recipe for racism was baked into society at its inception. Successive generations were spoon fed questionable ingredients that served to poison impressionable minds.

After slavery was abolished, Jim Crow laws were implemented from 1877 through 1950 that intentionally institutionalized racism. Jim Crow wove discrimination into education and housing and banking systems that dealt in the dis-equitable distribution of resources. Then, 1960 ushered a nonviolent revolution that unified half the nation in acknowledging the need to end discriminatory practices. 1970′s Affirmative Action legislation looked promising until litigators began dismantled it from 1980s through present day.

It is in this vein that, Juneteenth in Joliet is designed to serve as a metaphorical test kitchen to create a mix that nourishes our shared souls.

• Toni Greathouse is an “Entrepreneurial Evangelist” whose purpose is spelled out in the letters of her first name – serving as a reminder to Take On Neighborhood Interaction & Try Out Novel Ideas.