Column: Happy Juneteenth

Yesterday Shelbyville held a Juneteenth celebration at Sunset Park. It was a perfect day to remember, reflect, and reclaim our shared heritage.

It was as hot as that June 19 in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, bringing the news of freedom to enslaved African Americans. 

As I enjoyed the food and entertainment, it brought back memories of the Juneteenth celebrations from my youth. Just kidding. And unless you are from Texas, I’ll bet you had never heard of Juneteenth until recently.  You probably didn’t even know “Juneteenth” was a word.

I doubt if President Biden had heard of Juneteenth when he was a young boy growing up in Delaware. I wonder what he was thinking, when with a flourish of his executive pen, he made Juneteenth a Federal Holiday.

I like to think, at least for a moment, President Biden thought about that day he squared off with his childhood nemesis Corn Pop. Neither he nor Corn Pop could have imagined that over 60 years later, Biden would be president or that he would make history by declaring Juneteenth a Federal Holiday. 

Fortunately, Opel Lee, the 96-year-old teacher and activist responsible for the campaign to make Juneteenth a holiday, was present. Afterward, President Biden gave her one of the pens he used to sign the proclamation as a keepsake. 

As you readers know, I try to always have my thumb on the pulse of pop culture. I have noticed that some seem to be questioning the value of Juneteenth as an official Federal Holiday. 

I believe we should celebrate Juneteenth with the gusto of all our official holidays. We just need to figure out what should go on sale. Memorial Day, set aside to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and died serving in the military, is celebrated by a mattress sale. Labor Day is for buying a car.

What would be appropriate to go on sale to properly honor Juneteenth? 

Then again, maybe instead of a sale on Juneteenth, we should rethink how we have been celebrating other holidays. Maybe somewhere along the line we forgot the true meaning of our holidays. Holidays aren’t mere dates on the calendar. They’re stitches in the fabric of our shared history. They’re a time to remember, reflect, and reclaim our shared heritage. 

We should start with reclaiming Washington’s Birthday. The third Monday in February is still a federal holiday set aside to honor George Washington, the father of our county. The name was never changed to “Presidents’ Day.” So, let’s quit calling it that and instead of shopping put some thought into celebrating Washington’s birthday properly.

General Washington led us out of tyranny, braved Valley Forge’s icy winds, and became our first president. Yet somehow his day got lost in the shuffle, bundled up into Presidents’ Day, and turned into a sale. 

So, I say we should celebrate Juneteenth with gusto! But let’s also dust off our history books and treat all of our forgotten heroes and federal holidays with the honor and respect they deserve. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.