Local historian takes deeper look meaning behind Juneteenth
AND IS SERVING HIS 4TH TERM.
>> BEFORE WE GATHER TO
CELEBRATE 2 TEAMS THAT FOOD
MUSIC AND COMMUNITY. IT'S
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE
WHY BEHIND THE SIGNIFICANT
MOMENT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY, STORYTELLER
AND HIS STORY AND ON THE
WASHINGTON. JOINING US NOW WITH
A DEEP, A LOOK AT THE HISTORY
AND THE MEANING OF JUNETEENTH.
WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. SO
HAPPY TO HAVE YEAR.
>> THANK YOU. APPRECIATE BEING
HERE. SO IT'S A STORY TELLER.
WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOU
TO CONVEY?
>> WHEN YOU TELLING THE STORY
ABOUT JUNETEENTH.
I THINK THAT PEOPLE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF
JUNETEENTH.
>> YOU KNOW, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
JULY 4TH AND THEIR COACH.
WE WERE FREED. BUT THE REALITY
IS AMERICANA FREED ITSELF FROM
BRITAIN. BUT AMERICA CAN USE
A WHOLE BUNCH OF THEM WERE NOT
FREED AFTER THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR. AND SO WE CONTINUE TO
PRACTICE ENSLAVEMENT. 4 YEARS
AFTER THAT.
164 YEARS AFTER AMERICA BEGAN
THE COUNTRY, NOT THE COUNTRY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE
COLONIZATION. WE WERE STILL
PRACTICING ENSLAVEMENT AND SO
AT THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR,
WHICH WAS IN LIKE APRIL 12, 18
65 THE CIVIL WAR OFFICIALLY
ENDED. AND ENSLAVEMENT WAS
SUPPOSEDLY SORT OF ENDED AT
THAT POINT. BUT BECAUSE WE
DIDN'T HAVE MASS COMMUNICATION,
IT TOOK A WHILE. BUT EVERYONE
IN THAT NATION TO FIGURE OUT
THAT THE WAR WAS OVER AND SO
JUNETEENTH IS CELEBRATED
BECAUSE THE LAST PEOPLE WHO
FOUND OUT THAT THEY WERE
WORRIED THAT THEY WOULD NO
LONGER ENSLAVED WERE IN
GALVESTON, TEXAS. AND ON JUNE
19, GENERAL GORDON GRANGER
SHOWS UP IN GALVESTON WITH THIS
PRONOUNCEMENT. ANDY REID'S IT
ANY BASICALLY SAYS AND EVERYONE
WHO WAS ENSLAVED IS NO LONGER
IN SLEEP. THAT WAR'S OVER.
AND NOW YOU GET TO HAVE THAT
RELATIONSHIP OF EMPLOYER AND
EMPLOYEE MEAN AND PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN WAITING FOR THIS OR 164
YEARS. WELL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN,
GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
LEADING TO SAFETY. GENERATION
OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLING THE
STORIES OF SURVIVAL GENERATIONS
OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING
FOR THIS. SO WHEN WE FINALLY
HEARD THE NEWS, IT REALLY WAS
OVER GALVESTON, TEXAS, WIN.
IT'S 8 PEOPLE WERE SO EXCITED
MEANS WRITING THAT THEY WOULD
SAY THAT THEY STARTED IT WASN'T
JUBILATION. THERE WAS A HAPPY
MOMENT. CELEBRATION. I MEAN, I
CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE I CAN'T
EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT WOULD
FEEL LIKE. IT FELT LIKE YOU
WERE LIKE ROLLING A STONE UP
THE HILL FOREVER THAN SOMEONE'S
IT. MANY HAVE LET IT GO TO SOME
OF THE MEANINGFUL WAYS TO
DAVID.
>> WE CAN CELEBRATE AND
COMMEMORATE JUNETEENTH AND
STILL CAPTURE THE HISTORY OF
IT.
>> THERE ARE PARADES THAT
HAPPENED ALL OVER THE PLACE.
I DO NOT KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING
A PARADE HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA
UP IN THE RALEIGH-DURHAM AREA,
BUT DEBT GO LOOK ON THE
GOVERNMENT PAGES.
THERE ARE CELEBRATIONS, THEIR
STORYTELLING COMMUNITY DOING
SOME STORY TELLING MYSELF IN
CABARRUS COUNTY.
>> THERE THERE ARE ACTUALLY
GATHERINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE
TELLING STORY WHAT JUNETEENTH
IS IF THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
HAVING BARBECUES FAMILY BUT
KIDS TODAY THAT BUT ON
JUNETEENTH, THERE ARE LOTS OF
DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN FIND OUT
ABOUT IT. BUT THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR
COMMUNITY, THEIR COMMUNITY
GROUPS CHECK AND SEE WHAT'S
GOING ON. THE COMMUNITY AND
JUST GO OUT AND CELEBRATE WITH
OTHER PEOPLE OR IF YOU KNOW,
IT'S A FAMILY TRADITION,
CELEBRATE HOME, MAKE SURE YOU
INVITE PEOPLE OVER AND TALK
ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS AND
REALLY QUICKLY, WAS IT
IMPORTANT THAT NOT JUST
AFRICAN-AMERICANS BUT EVERYONE
EMBRACED THIS PART OF AMERICAN
HISTORY?
>> AMERICAN HISTORY AND AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY. THE SAME
THING ME YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT IN
HISTORY, THEN YOU CAN
UNDERSTAND HOW TO GO FORWARD.
WE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'VE BEEN
THROUGH TOGETHER. WE DON'T
UNDERSTAND WHY THINGS LOOK THE
WAY THEY DO OR WHY WE SHOULD
BE CELEBRATING OR EVEN WHY
PEOPLE HAVE ATTITUDES THEY DO
ABOUT THINGS KNOWING OUR ROOTS,
KNOWING WHERE WE ALL CAME FROM
IS IMPORTANT.
>> HISTORIAN AND STORYTELLING.
DONNA WAS TO APPRECIATE YOUR
PERSPECTIVE OF JUNETEENTH THIS
MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH.