EDITORIAL: Juneteenth celebrates liberty

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Juneteenth is all about emancipation — freedom.

For Black Americans, Juneteenth is as much about liberty as the Fourth of July.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed Jan. 1, 1863, it was more than two years later when many Americans living in the West learned they were free.

Despite the proclamation, word had not reached Texas until June 19, 1865, when a Union general made the declaration in Galveston.

Freed men, women and children celebrated.

Large public celebrations began the very next year on June 19, 1866, and in many communities the annual celebration of freedom has continued since that time.

It was not until 2021, however, that Juneteenth was formally recognized as a federal holiday.

If we are not all free, are any of us really free?

While Juneteenth marks the freedom of Black slaves and the end of a dark chapter in American history, the day should be embraced and celebrated by everyone.

It was not until that day on June 19, 1865 that Americans began to live up to the most scared words in its most sacred secular text: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

You cannot embrace American freedom without embracing all of those words for all people.

In Dalton, the celebration for Juneteenth kicked off Friday and included a parade on Pentz Street Saturday, followed by free tours of the Emery Center, a Black heritage and multicultural center, and a Juneteenth Gala.

The Dalton Whitfield NAACP helped organize several upcoming events to celebrate Juneteenth. Tonight from 5 to 8 p.m., a free event, “A Summer Celebration of Culture and Freedom,” will be held at the Mack Gaston Community Center Pavilion. Barbecue sliders and strawberry soda will be served to attendees, and music will be played.

Friday’s edition of the Off the Rails Summer Entertainment Series at 6:30 p.m. at Burr Performing Arts Park is hosted by the NAACP and the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia and will include performances from AB & Groove Therapy, MonoChrome and Zowie Boyd.

On Saturday, a Spades Tournament and Fish Fry will be held at 4 p.m. at the Emery Center, and, on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Nana’s Family Fun Day will offer music, vendors and free food at the Mack Gaston Community Center.

We encourage our entire community to celebrate freedom and to support Juneteenth.