Jemar, as a white historian, I have discovered the importance and the power of celebrating Juneteenth. I want to avoid the tendency of white people to appropriate cultural elements from the Black community, but I am trying to get white folks involved in Juneteenth celebrations. I wrote a piece on Juneteenth this week myself, and I'd be honored if you would give it a read and let me have any feedback, honest feedback good or bad. That is how we get better. Here is the link to my substack: https://hendersond.substack.com/p/7-reasons-white-people-should-celebrate
Thank you for your teach-in Your thoughts and comments were well received by me and I feel much better informed about Juneteenth as a holiday to be celebrated and/or commemorated.
Just listened to the teach in on "The Witness" -- I will have to listen again, as my mind tends to wander - but the difference between celebration and commeration. I'm a Girl Scout leader here in the PNW and I'm thinking about what learning opportunities I could create or host next year. I have read both your books and have the next one on preorder. I try to read the various books you recommend so I can better educate myself. I appreciate all the very hard and emotionally difficult work you are doing in this very shallow world.
Thank you for this and your other Juneteenth writings. I appreciated your pointing out that we must know the history before we can celebrate/honor/commemorate Juneteenth - and that there is still work to be done. The fact that we have a national holiday does not signal that this is history (meaning that it's in our past), but in fact, we must continue to dismantle the structures and policies that still enable racism and anti-Blackness to persist and continue in this country. It's necessary for all of us to learn of and know the complicated history of our nation because without the understanding of our history, we cannot see, understand, and begin to address the institutional and systemic nature of many of the policies that affect immigrants, people of color, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups in our country.
Jemar, as a white historian, I have discovered the importance and the power of celebrating Juneteenth. I want to avoid the tendency of white people to appropriate cultural elements from the Black community, but I am trying to get white folks involved in Juneteenth celebrations. I wrote a piece on Juneteenth this week myself, and I'd be honored if you would give it a read and let me have any feedback, honest feedback good or bad. That is how we get better. Here is the link to my substack: https://hendersond.substack.com/p/7-reasons-white-people-should-celebrate
Thanks for addressing this important and necessary subject, Daniel!
Thank you for your teach-in Your thoughts and comments were well received by me and I feel much better informed about Juneteenth as a holiday to be celebrated and/or commemorated.
I appreciate you reading, and I'm glad it was helpful!
Just listened to the teach in on "The Witness" -- I will have to listen again, as my mind tends to wander - but the difference between celebration and commeration. I'm a Girl Scout leader here in the PNW and I'm thinking about what learning opportunities I could create or host next year. I have read both your books and have the next one on preorder. I try to read the various books you recommend so I can better educate myself. I appreciate all the very hard and emotionally difficult work you are doing in this very shallow world.
Thank you for this and your other Juneteenth writings. I appreciated your pointing out that we must know the history before we can celebrate/honor/commemorate Juneteenth - and that there is still work to be done. The fact that we have a national holiday does not signal that this is history (meaning that it's in our past), but in fact, we must continue to dismantle the structures and policies that still enable racism and anti-Blackness to persist and continue in this country. It's necessary for all of us to learn of and know the complicated history of our nation because without the understanding of our history, we cannot see, understand, and begin to address the institutional and systemic nature of many of the policies that affect immigrants, people of color, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups in our country.