This past Thursday President Biden signed into law a bill that makes June 19, Juneteenth, a federal holiday. By setting aside this day, the nation will each year officially commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The President and those in attendance at the signing said all the good things about racial equality. The fact that Kamala Harris is the Vice President shows how far the nation has come since emancipation.
The bill creating the holiday passed Congress with unanimous support. This is a great thing and I do not intend to diminish the historical importance or significance of the day.
My problem is, those same members of the House and the Senate who voted for Juneteenth refuse to support substantive legislation effecting voting rights, gun control, police reform, homelessness and a myriad of other problems that directly impact black, brown and poor people. Inordinate numbers of black and brown people sit in our prisons. Infant mortality and illiteracy are major problems in black and brown communities. The John Lewis Law Voting Rights Act and the George Floyd Policing Act sit idle. Everyday, there is yet another story of a black man who was shot by police.
We as black folks, and the greater society, do not need another occasion to cook out, have a parade or relax in our back yards. This should not just be another day off from work. It should be a day when we all work to improve our minds and our communities.
Juneteenth should become voter registration day. Parents should take their children to the library and make sure they get a card. It should be “read a book about slavery” day or “take your teenagers to visit a college” day. There should be seminars on entrepreneurship; the importance of staying in school; parenting; homelessness; mental health issues; and topics that will be beneficial to people no matter what their race or ethnicity.
For those of us living in the North, activities on Martin Luther King Day are generally limited by cold weather in January. Many museums and public spaces are open and there are many concerts, plays and volunteer projects. Those are all great. But at this point, we need more than that.
The abysmal percentages of black people who go to the polls and vote is an insult to the people who fought so hard to ensure that right for all Americans. I wonder what the reaction would be of the people who learned of their freedom from slavery in 1865 if they were told that their descendants do not vote.
Across the nation, state legislatures are enacting laws that made it harder for black, brown and poor people to vote. There has never been a more serious attack on our democracy.
I like to jokingly say that if you did not vote, you do not have the right to carry a picket sign or demonstrate. Voting should be a prerequisite to speaking out.
We as a community should start now to make our plans for next Juneteenth. Make it a day that means something.
But we should also start right now to get everyone we know registered to vote and then make sure that they get an absentee ballot or go to the polls. Clevelanders will select a new congressperson, a new mayor, council members and municipal judges in the next few months. These are important offices and if you do not vote you have no say in the process.
Please do not think that I am critical of Juneteenth. It is an important date, and I am proud that Congress enacted the legislation that made it possible. It marks an important landmark in the march toward freedom for all Americans.
But I also want our community to work a little harder to insure our own destiny. Future generations must look to us to say that we made America a better place for them to live. It is for us, the voters, to make sure that there is not another George Floyd murder — we pick the mayors who pick the police chief who hire and train the police officers. Your vote does mean something. Use it.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection, is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission and president of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.
One Response to “Putting Meaning Into Juneteenth”
Penny Jeffrey
Thank you Judge Connelly! Your suggestions for Juneteenth are excellent and I hope will propel people to find personal and public ways to celebrate Juneteenth.
And yes, local elections are crucial. Please watch for candidate forums for city council wards, boards of education, mayoral races all over Cleveland and Cuyahoga County this year. A great place to start is http://www.LWVgreatercleveland.org or facebook page League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. In a few weeks you will be able to access candidate and issue information on VOTE411.ORG.