On June 19th 157 years ago, the last African-American chattel slaves were freed in the United States, pursuant to General Order No. 3 issued in the state of Texas by Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army. Juneteenth, marking that declaration of freedom, has long been celebrated in the African-American community and it has now become an official National Holiday.
Our country’s history of slavery and the unpaid toil of so many is also a history of enduring faith and courageous perseverance. Our history of fear and suspicion, violence and reprisal, darkness and confusion is also the history the on-going struggle for true freedom.
Juneteenth is a moment for our nation to recall that our “freedom in Christ” compels us to speak out against hate, suppression, and the sin of racism. May God bless our entire nation with resilience, ingenuity, and resolve to “make this a more perfect Union.” And may God hear our collective cry today: “Oh, Freedom!”
Let us pray. “Lord Jesus, you revealed God through your wise words and loving deeds, and we encounter you still today in the faces of those with whom we live, especially who have been pushed to the margins. Guide us, through the love you revealed, to establish the justice you proclaimed, so that all peoples might dwell in harmony and peace, united by that one love that binds us to each other, and to you. And most of all, Lord, may our worship and work always be genuine encounters with you, and our better selves, so that our lives will be changed for the good of all. In your holy Name we pray. Amen.”
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El día “Juneteenth” es un feriado nacional. ¿Qué se conmemora día? El “Juneteenth Day” marca uno de los acontecimientos más importantes de la historia de los Estados Unidos: el fin de la esclavitud. En 1863, el presidente Abraham Lincoln firmó la Proclamación de Emancipación, la cual otorgaba la libertad a todos los esclavos, sin embargo, pasaron dos años para que la libertad se convirtiera en una realidad para todos.
El estado de Texas fue el último en abolir la esclavitud, pues hasta el 19 de junio de 1865, los soldados de la Unión en Galveston, en Texas, anunciaron a los esclavos que eran libres y alrededor de 250 mil personas fueron liberadas.
Conmemorar el “Juneteenth Day” como fiesta nacional abordará la brecha ignorada durante mucho tiempo en la historia del país, reconocerá el mal que se hizo, reconocerá el dolor y el sufrimiento de generaciones de esclavos y sus descendientes, y finalmente celebrará su libertad.
