South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Juneteenth is not up for sale
It took 157 years for Americans to finally recognize Juneteenth. And after President Joe Biden designated June 19 as a federal holiday in 2021, it took less than one year for corporate America to monetize it.
The speed with which the day has been exploited is ironic given the hesitation by many to acknowledge it at all. Worse yet, Juneteenth consumerism feeds into the worst stereotypes about Black Americans while offering zero regard for our history and culture.
For many, Juneteenth is a relatively misunderstood historical milestone. Most Americans know the basics — people of African descent were enslaved and freed after the South lost the Civil War. But far too many remain uneducated about the significance of the date “June 19.”
In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that enslaved people were free in areas that rebelled against the United States, effective Jan. 1, 1863. However, the proclamation was not fully enforced until April 9,
1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, formally ending the Civil War. Despite their loss, enslavers refused to believe that the Union victory was legitimate. In a shameless effort to avoid the inevitable, some enslavers fled to Texas — a state located the farthest from Union borderlines — in a desperate attempt to continue reaping the benefits of free labor and keep Black people in bondage.
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to inform the roughly 250,000 people still enslaved in Texas that they were “forever free.” That was more than 60 days after the Civil War ended and two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. In December 1865, the
13th Amendment was ratified, officially ending the institution of slavery in the U.S.
Do the Juneteenth branded products you’ve seen allude to or represent any of this important history?
Juneteenth was catapulted into mainstream consumerism when it was declared a national holiday. There was little understanding of the history behind the day, nor how it might be a cornerstone to launching efforts that would lead to a better future. Instead, we are offered trivial products clothed in red, black and green for celebratory consumption. The cycle of exploitation continues with those who look to profit from Juneteenth, not unlike those who once profited from enslavement.
Access to education, as well as the promotion of revisionist history and disinformation,
have always been the weapons of choice used against the Black community. So, it is vital that we continue battling the remnants of slavery in all its many forms.
Americans should honor Juneteenth with the same reverence as the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. While MLK Day has been tapped as a day of community service, how about June 19 as a day to not only celebrate freedom but also advance essential causes that will improve Black lives?
Rather than issuing pointless platitudes and commercialization, we could use Juneteenth as a chance to consider ways to stop the overcriminalization and incarceration of Black people in the U.S. In Louisiana and Mississippi more than half the prison population is Black even though only 32.8% of the Louisiana population is Black, and in Mississippi only 37.8% of the population is Black, according to the Census Quick Facts.
While politicians across the country create barriers to voting or weaponize redistricting to diminish our voices, it is more important than ever that corporations align with communities and unequivocally support voting rights.
As a day meant to celebrate emancipation and resilience of Black people, Juneteenth should serve as more than just a day off. It is certainly more than a commodity to be bought and sold. It is a moment to reflect on ways to further our freedom and amplify messages of strength and resiliency.
Lecia Brooks is the chief of staff and culture for the Southern Poverty Law Center, where her duties focus on leadership development, building an antiracist workplace culture across the SPLC’s offices and ensuring a continued focus on equity.