Juneteenth and so far to go

Today (June 19^th) we celebrate the Juneteenth Festival – A celebration og the end of slavery in the United States. Or so we want to believe.

This day marks the end of the Civil War and the day (approximately) on which slaves in Texas learned that they were free and celebrated. It spread.

So African American slaves received freedom from slavery that they and we fight to keep them free from. Because there are still those that do not see those of African descent as being equal to those of European descent. (Sad to say in America today there are those that still want “white only” areas and laws.)

So the African slaves were freed by decree of Washington DC and those opposed to the Africans receiving their freedom worked overtime to get them back into the conditions of slavery and deny them the rights that they deserve as American citizens.

I'm thinking of the sharecroppers. I'm thinking of the chain gangs in prison.

In the 1900s I'm thinking of separate but equal. And those that fought against school integration. First by separate but equal. And when that failed, by sending their children to private schools. And others by moving into suburbs and creating suburban districts that have next to no minority communities. Even though in some of them all it takes is the crossing of a street and you go from suburbia and into a city.

Then there is the voucher movement, which allows parents to take their school taxes and use them to send their children to private schools. While the vouchers don't cover the entire cost, the families that do that have the money to cover the rest of the tuition. Minority families don't and are stuck in underfunded public school districts.

So, have we really wrecked separate but equal? Or have we just watched it morph into something else?

And then there are the African Americans that are in prison. The US houses 25% of the world's prison population. Most of them are minorities. And when they serve their sentences (provided they are able to. Look at sentencing disparities between Africans and other races) they face many hurdles to reintegrating into society. They are banned from public housing. In some states they are ineligible for public assistance. And try to get a job when you have a criminal record. (Ban the Box!)

There are states (22 I believe) that deny convicted felons the right to vote. This overwhelmingly affects African Americans. I say that if the state is going to deny you the right to vote – you don't have to pay taxes. That's local, state, federal, school, property, sales, inheritance, or any of the numerous fees that the government assesses. It's called “Taxation without representation.”

And there are states where, if you are a convicted felon, you lose the right to own a firearm. Where's the NRA on that one?

Then there's voting rights. White areas – voting is easy. Areas that serve African Americans and minorities? Get in line and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Some people wait over nine hours to vote. If I wait five minutes I'm lucky.

And that's not all on voting either. Look at all the hurdles and problems that minorities face when they are trying to register to vote. Picture ID, statement of residence, and a whole slew of other hurdles. It's designed to deny them their rights.

Let's go into the work place where African Americans work in the lowest paying sectors of the work force. $15 Now would be a pay raise for them. Of course the 1% will parade people like Herman Cain, Condi Rice, Colin Powell and others that have “made it.” And athletes and music stars. Just work hard enough and you'll make it. Not with the deck stacked like it is now.

And on that note, most successful African Americans are in the field of entertainment – music and sports. Where they have been kept for centuries. Duke Ellington and others were great musicians that could play in the best hotels and concert halls. And then spend the night in “Black only” hotels. They were probably not five star establishments.

And look at the “Negro Leagues.” (An insulting name at that.) Those men were statistically as good as any white player, and many of them better. And how long were they denied entry and access into the Major Leagues?

Of course there is “Black History Month.” In February no less. The shortest month. And all we get are the sterilized histories of African Americans. I await the day that I see some short blurb on corporate TV on how Martin Luther King Jr spoke out against the Vietnam War (he was correct) and how he was fighting for worker's rights to organize into unions when he was gunned down.

I'm not holding my breath.

There's the infamous shooting and beatings of African Americans. Tamir Rice comes to mind, along with so many others. And the NRA has the “Stand your Ground” law which basically allows whites to shoot blacks because they “felt threatened” by them. Yes, in America “Walking while Black” is a crime. Especially if you have Skittles(TM) and a bottle of tea. But if you are black and use a firearm to defend yourself against an attack, the NRA is nowhere to be found.

And we await justice for India Cummings and so many others that have died in police custody. Under suspicious circumstances. Though I have a small amount of hope that Shaun Porter might see some justice because a police officer had a conscience.

And I could go on. I feel like I am “Blacksplaining” because I am white of Eastern European descent. When my ancestors came over from Europe they were ostracized and put down. Eventually they were accepted as the next wave of immigrants came from a different region.

African Americans and those of African descent have never received acceptance in the 400+ years of this country.

Juneteenth is the celebration of the end of slavery.

I can imagine how much better this celebration will get when those of African descent are finally accepted as equals in this society.