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Juneteenth was finally recognized as a federal holiday. Then came its commercialization

2022-06-19T16:52:39.638Z


“The companies that throw these picnics for their employees and feed them fried chicken and watermelon, who made that decision?” asked Torrina Harris of Galveston, Texas, as she critiques the stereotyped beliefs that remain.


By Michelle Garcia —

NBC News

Juneteenth may be the nation's newest federal holiday, but for many black Americans, June 19 has long been associated with local community celebrations, understood as a day that symbolizes freedom.

“For black people, there has been a long tradition of commemorating June 19,” said Amara Enyia, coordinator of policy and research for the Movement for Black Lives. 

But now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, with office and school closures in recognition of it, the inevitable has also taken shape: commercialization.

Juneteenth, for many black Americans, has been a day of home and community celebrations that symbolize freedom. Adriana Bellet for NBC News

Stores from coast to coast are stocking shelves with merchandise for Juneteenth.

Walmart recently came under fire for having a 'Great Value' brand Juneteeth ice cream, labeled with a brand symbol.

The move raised questions about who can own the Juneteeth idea, and whether companies should cash in on what could be seen as a bittersweet holiday, commemorating the

end of slavery

and the beginning of a multigenerational struggle. for civil rights.

['Juneteenth' is also celebrated in Mexico: meet the family that found freedom by going south]

"We cannot afford the luxury of symbolism"

In Galveston, Texas, the home of Juneteenth, residents began to commemorate the day members of the Union Army arrived in South Texas in 1865, both to inform the enslaved that they were henceforth entitled to wages for their job, such as to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation among slave owners.

The black population has staged its own celebrations of the holiday since its inception.

Their celebrations have since reached all the places where the diaspora has spread.

Juneteenth's popularity has seen its ups and downs over the decades, but it came back into the public interest with racial justice movements demanding more political capital, especially in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Last year, the president, Joe Biden signed a law to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, thus responding to requests from black activists.

This is how several cities in the United States celebrated the first commemoration of 'Juneteenth'

June 19, 202100:55

This year, some attempts to celebrate the day have soured, very publicly.

Many were upset to see Juneteenth trademarked ice cream, developed with the help of a corporation that creates artificial flavors, on shelves, and a children's museum apologized after its Juneteenth menu included a watermelon salad.

In Alabama, a Juneteenth soul food celebration was canceled after a leaked poster for the event revealed that none of its hosts were black. 

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“The companies that throw these picnics for their employees and feed them fried chicken and watermelon, who made that decision?” joked Torrina Harris of Galveston.

Ultimately, Enyia said, "it's a testament to this country and the way our systems are set up so that the default automated response is profit or profit-seeking."

The push, when it comes to many parties, is to focus more on the “silver side”—in this case, emancipation, freedom—which lends itself to digestible celebrations and commemorative products.

In doing so, the aspect of the emancipation of blacks is left out:

centuries of slavery.

But, according to Enyia, the inherent nature of the holiday is also

“a reminder of how this country has treated black people.

It is a reminder of the history of this country.”

Large companies grant the day off for the celebration of 'Juneteenth'

June 19, 202100:34

Angela Tate, curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, points out that throughout all the generations of community Juneteenth celebrations, which have taken place in big cities, small towns and rural communities, blacks have tended to pair the bitter and the sweet.

“African Americans have always used these moments of memory to think about where the community comes from and what we are chasing and striving for, as well as taking time to pass on history and culture,” he said last year.

"Juneteenth is a time to think that freedom is a conditional release and something that we must continuously strive and fight for."

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But big companies looking for a way to participate in Juneteenth celebrations “don't understand or aren't interested in addressing the underlying issues that this holiday — this holiday in particular — can shed light on,” Enyia said.

Harris, a member of the board of directors for Vision Galveston, which sponsors the city's Juneteenth festivities, agrees that celebrating Juneteenth should go far beyond checking a box.

Getting involved in organizing a Juneteenth celebration or product launch should also prompt questions like: “Are you giving decision-making power that also influences how funds are distributed?

Are you giving decision-making power to people who are representative of the community this party is meant to honor?”

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Just as LGBTQ Pride Month has become synonymous with rainbow flags throughout the month of June, as advocates continue to demand equality and action for queer people, Enyia draws a similar parallel for companies that they propose to celebrate Juneteenth. 

"Right now we can't afford symbology," he said.

Juneteenth celebration: past and present

Historically, local communities created their own settings to celebrate this day.

In some places, afternoon festivals of food and music were combined with readings of African-American poetry, and readings of seminal speeches by black leaders such as WEB Du Bois and Frederick Douglass.

The 2020 documentary

Miss Juneteenth

illustrated the joyful ways black communities celebrate each year. 

Now that it's a federal holiday, part of the idea of ​​how to mark the day as a nation comes with educating the public about it.

According to a Gallup poll released Thursday, more Americans say they have at least some knowledge of the holiday than they did last year.

11% of those surveyed said they knew nothing at all about Juneteenth this year, up from 28% last year, even though 45 states and Washington, DC, had had some formal recognition of Juneteenth before Biden. sign the law.

With greater understanding has also come greater support for recognition: This year, 45% of respondents said they thought Juneteenth should be a federal holiday, and 25% said they were unsure or unfamiliar with it. date.

This compares with 35% last year who said it should be a federal holiday, and 40% who said they weren't sure or familiar with the holiday.

And despite many of the laws that have swept through the states restricting racially conscious education, 63% said they supported making Juneteenth part of history curricula in public schools, up from 49% the year before. past. 

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The change in trend is exactly what Opal Lee, who has long pushed for this date to be recognized as a public holiday, has been working on for decades.

However, he cautioned against resting “on our laurels,” he told D magazine. “There is still work to be done.

Our educational system does not tell the truth and we need the truth to be told.”

Lee is one of many activists and organizers who say

Juneteenth is not just about celebrating, but about taking action.

A coalition of organizations is demanding that Biden create a federal commission by executive order to study reparations and the long-term effects of slavery.

Enyia, of the Movement for Black Lives, said the action is especially important to reinforce policies that will benefit Black people and contribute to their liberation, whether it be overhaul of police and public safety at the local and federal levels or policies that would expand economic opportunity, such as student loan forgiveness. 

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Feb. 16, 202200:20

For Lee, who has spent much of his 95 years marching on highways across the country to defend Juneteenth as his own federal holiday, this day is a time to get to work, but it's also a time for all Americans to celebrate their freedoms. . 

"It's important for people to recognize that

it's not a black thing, it's not just a Texas thing

, but it's about freedom for everyone, and we're not free yet," he exclaimed.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-06-19

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