GREAT DOG: Juneteenth

Showing posts with label Juneteenth. Show all posts

Thursday, June 19, 2008

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'VE COME FROM, YOU WON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING!

NEVER FORGET

We the People — the beginning of the preamble of the constitution of the United States. When that document was completed on September 17, 1787, I was not included.

It was not until the end of the Civil War, on September 22, 1862, that President Abraham Lincoln historically declared the freedom of all slaves in ANY state of the Confederate States of American that did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863. This was memorialized through Lincoln's signing of “The Emancipation Proclamation”.

Technically, I was officially included. Two and a half years later on June 19th Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Thus the birth of Juneteenth!

One hundred eighty-five years after this news I was born. Free and innocent to the misdeeds of my country against a people that I was now apart of. Free to take the advantages of the opportunities paid for by the struggles, trails, death, but advancements of countless people. Ironically during that time our country was involved in the resolution of other misdeeds of the time. I offer these as example: the Vietnam War, Watergate, Abortion legislation and School Desegregation to name a few.

We the People – we the people of America of all races, colors, cultures and creeds have come such a great distance in our social interactions, morals and philosophy. It hasn’t been pretty or easy, and we have not “stepped into the promise land” as of yet. But we’re on the right road.

Continue with Tim Valentine's "My Celebration of Juneteenth"

Thursday, June 21, 2007

I DON'T CARE WHAT AL SHARPTON SAYS, JUNETEENTH HAS BECOME A JOKE

Milwaukee Police say a 33-year-old man has a broken tooth and cuts all over his face after a group of teenagers pulled him from his car and beat him following Milwaukee's Juneteenth celebration.

JUNETEENTH? The day all Black folks were considered free? The descendant of slave's 4th of July Juneteenth? The time for assessment, self-improvement and planning for the future Juneteenth? This must be a mistake.

While Black Presidential Candidate Barack Obama was texting people to join his movement, a few blocks away - still in Wisconsin mind you - a group of girls are throwing some serious punches.

When police went to break up the fight, the department says a 17-year-old girl started punching and kicking a 15-year veteran officer.

Police say there was also a fight earlier in the day where three different women were fighting. A 15-year-old boy reportedly tried to break up the fight when an 18-year-old man got involved in it.

According to police, the 18-year-old got angry, walked away and told the boy he was coming back with a gun. The 18-year-old did in fact return with a gun and fired five shots into a crowd where the boy was standing. The 15-year-old's 39-year-old uncle was hit in the shoulder.

It's the second year in a row that violence has broken out at the celebration.

In Texas, David Morales, 40, was beat to death on Tuesday June 19 night near a local Juneteenth festival in Austin after accidentally running over a small child.

Police say anything between two and 20 attackers beat Mr Morales after the driver stopped following the collision which involved him purportedly driving at a low speed.

It is thought that up to 25 onlookers may have seen the fatal assault.
Some people think all this violence takes away from the real meaning of Juneteenth. WRONG!

The violence is telling us that if we're fighting and destroying each other on a day marking the end of slavery, then we don't deserve to be free.. or alive.

The solution? Re-enslave those that can't be killed quickly with little to no effort.

Desperate times demand desperate measures. We keep hearing Bill Cosby lecture us but not enough folks wants to listen. While I accept that Bill Cosby has his own personal issues, what he's saying is on point: We are a mess!

Activist C. Delores Tucker was dogged when she was spoke out about rap disrespecting women in the 90's. Then Don Imus threats our women like St. Louis rapper Huey, and suddenly we realize that she had it right all along. Problem is, this came AFTER her death!

Are we going to do the same thing to Cosby?

PEOPLE, PEOPLE - THIS IS JUNETEENTH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!