Why I Purposely Make Juneteenth a Day OFF, Not a Day On

It's one way to honor the spirit of the holiday

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When enslaved people in Galveston, Texas first heard of their emancipation on June 19, 1865—Juneteenth—how do you think they celebrated?

By going back into the fields and picking more cotton? By asking their plantation owners what other work they might do that day?

Of course not.

They celebrated!

They surely cheered, embraced, cooked, sang, danced, prayed and praised.

It is in the original spirit of Juneteenth that I purposely take it as a day off rather than a day on.

Before you celebrate Juneteenth, remember why we needed it in the first place.

Black people are annually tapped to serve on certain holidays and seasons—MLK Day, Black History Month, anniversaries of all sorts.

Now that Juneteenth has become a national holiday, it has entered the annual list of occasions when Black are asked, and expected, to work.

We give speeches, plan events, and explain racism (again).

I personally do not mind serving in these ways. It’s practically my job description as an advocate for racial justice.

I have served and I will continue to be of service.

Just not on Juneteenth.

On Juneteenth I do what I rarely do on any other day—rest.

I sleep. I relax. I grill. I spend time with family.

How Can We Celebrate Juneteenth When We Still Aren't Free?

Honoring the Spirit of Juneteenth

My decision not to work on Juneteenth is a choice to honor the spirit of the holiday—celebrating freedom from forced labor.

For centuries under race-based chattel slavery, people of African descent had no choice about when they worked, how long they worked, what kind of work they did, or when they got a break from working.

Not only were Black people forced to work under slavery, their entire value came from their labor, not their humanity.

Even after slavery and into the present-day, Black people’s value is still attached to their ability to provide value to others—as players on a field, as creators of culture, as race whisperers providing solutions to problems we didn’t create.

On any other day, I am honored and motivated to serve.

But on Juneteenth, I choose not to labor.

I choose to exercise the choice my ancestors never had—to put my own boundaries on my own effort.

And it has not been easy.

I have gotten fantastic invications to participate in exciting events with people I admire. I’ve even had to leave money on the table when folk have kindly offered compensation.

But I vowed that if Juneteenth ever became a national holiday, I would truly take it as a day off. I’m doing my best to maintain that commitment.

And this is a decision I have made as a Black person. White folks need to think about commemorating Juneteenth differently.

You Are Free Indeed

Yet part of the freedom we gained after emancipation from slavery is the freedom to make our own choices. So, I respect the numerous other Black people who decide to work in some way on Juneteenth.

Celebrate the holiday in whatever manner makes sense to you.

I do, however, encourage all of us to think about the continued labor expected of Black people, especially when it comes to racial justice.

I firmly believe the adage among organizers, “The people closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”

I am not of the opinion that Black people do not have any responsibility to promote racial justice. We are the ones best positioned to see its harms and therefore offer suggestions for how to remove them.

But this firsthand knowledge does not mean endlessly expending our energies.

We can and should rest.

As many have said, “Rest is resistance.”

So if Juneteenth is not your time to rest, decide what is.

Because racial progress does not come from reverting back to the days when our labor was expected and exploited.

It comes from realizing that we are free indeed. A freedom that includes choosing when to rest and when to work.

What about you? How do you commemorate Juneteenth? Let me know in the comments.