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Sorry, America. There are better ways to commemorate the end of slavery than establishing Juneteenth, which is also known as Emancipation Day, as a federal holiday. It perpetuates the falsehood that June 19, 1865, marked the end of slavery in the U.S.
The new Juneteenth National Independence Day, signed into law Thursday, is a missed opportunity for the federal government to acknowledge all that was taken from Black Americans. What Juneteenth really marks is a moment when America started down a road toward racial justice before abruptly executing an about-turn.
Read more: Without a U.S. plan for reparations, Juneteenth is a hollow national holiday
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The history behind the holiday is long and troubling, with echoes that persist today.
In April 9, Washington joined a handful of other states in recognizing June 19, known as Juneteenth, as an official paid state holiday. The bill passed on a bipartisan 47-1 vote in the state Senate, and is heading to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk for his signature. It’s the right step for Washington to take.
Read more: Washington now recognizes Juneteenth, but there’s more to the story
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Conservative pundits disparage the new anti-racism education laws coming out of Olympia, but there is nothing harmful about telling the truth.
In the closing days of the 2021 Washington state legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee signed three bills mandating diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism education in K-12 public schools, public colleges and universities, and at state-supported medical schools. Republicans and conservatives around the country, and here in Washington state, responded by attacking the measures, claiming they are part of a broader conspiracy to introduce critical race theory, or CRT, into education.
Read more: Decrying 'critical race theory' in Washington state misses the point
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Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a lightning rod for conservative ire at any discussion of racism, anti-racism, or the non-white history of America. Across the country, bills in Republican-controlled legislatures have attempted to prevent the teaching of CRT, even though most of those against CRT struggle to define the term. CRT actually began as a legal theory which held simply that systemic racism was consciously created, and therefore, must be consciously dismantled. History reveals that the foundation of America, and of systemic racism, happened at the same time and from the same set of consciously created laws.
Read more: The history of systemic racism that critical race theory opponents prefer to hide
