Enjoy the day if you don’t have anything positive to say save it.
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Not sure what could be said that isn’t positive. It’s been way too long to recognize this as a holiday. If we have federal holidays for presidents, Columbus and laborers, Juneteenth is a no brainer
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I agree completely!!
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It belongs. Considering its significance, it is way overdue.
Makes more sense than banning and burning books. Ripping pages from history books will not alter history.
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It’s a day for the banks and post office to close and the rest of us will work.
Cry me a river scrooge
What is June teenth?
Actually I wondered where the term originated and that is the answer.
I think it was the 14th admendment that made it official nationwide but the synmbolism is good.
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As an African American this now recognized holiday is bitter sweet,I’m grateful that it’s now being recognized,but it irks me that freed slaves weren’t notified of their freedom until over 2 years later after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.And to make it worse a certain group wants to end the teaching of things like that in school,it’s why you have some on this board that don’t even know what it means.
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It is a reminder of how warped and dangerous we humans can be toward one another. History is sadly replete with extensive examples of atrocities between peoples. Slavery should never have existed anywhere and most definitely not in a free America. The Declaration of Independence should have ended it immediately.
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Of course, slavery should have never been; however, the Declaration of Independence was not the place to end it nor did it have the legal standing (or any legal standing) to do so. That could have been done in 1776, but again, if it had there would have not been a United States. The framers were smart enough to place the framework there which enabled it to be removed 100 yrs. later.
We look at the mid 1700s through late 20th early 21st century eyes. That is just not reality. Slavery had been the way of the world from the beginning of time up until 1860 and even that took a war that nearly split the country and took untold lives. Thank God for Lincoln.
Anyway, it is so easy for us now to say how despicable it was and it was. That was not the case in the 1700s. Thankfully, times have changed.
I have no problem with a Day of Remember for it. I do think we have far too many Holidays and they lose their significane. If this one is to be, then I think one should be removed.
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And some forget we did not make American Indians slaves, we killed them and took their land.
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What was done to the American Indians was not right, but most died of diseases they had no immunity against.
The Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves free in the states in rebellion but not those in slave states not in rebellion, e.g., Kansas and Missouri. Declaring slaves free and the slaves actually being free are two different things. The Juneteenth slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation (a presidential executive order) but were not-in-fact free since their owners would not have obeyed it anyway (Texas had seceded from the Union after all). The fact that news of the executive order had not reached an isolated pocket of slaves someplace is not surprising.
There were many who died of starvation and disease brought on by restrictive regulations and being forced to live on reservations where they could not sustain themselves.
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For the record, we have the least number of holidays of most countries, if not all. I am sure you know, Americans work more and takes less vacation than any country. I know I contributed to that. In the last 15 years of my job I was due 5 weeks of vacation and took just 3.
The primary reason we have least number of holidays is because we only celebrate holidays for one religion. In many countries, holidays are celebrated for multiple religions. I think this country will go to that in 25 years or so. So, I don’t see what you are suggesting, ever happening. It is going to go the other way.
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You are probably right. I guess I was brought up, really drilled, that you work when you can. The idea though is for you to enjoy your work. I admire people who can just drop everything. I can’t or at least don’t. That is not out of any duty to a boss or company. I am now self employed. Probably why I will never completely retire. Can’t see just sitting around.
When I did work for a large corporation, I could never take all the time off they gave. I found all that did was put me further behind.
I guess the thing to do is get a government job where you only have to work a few days a month and 4:30 PM scares you (this time of year, 4:30 means the day is half over). By the way, I am 73.
America is most certainly not alone in its mistreatment of indigenous people throughout history. The indictment is no less valid. Again, mankind has proved to be a bloody mess in how we treat our fellow humans in pretty much every corner of the globe.