Juneteenth provides opportunity to celebrate 'freedom for all'
Dear FLORIDA TODAY Subscribers,
This week we're talking about the most recently created federal holiday, but the traditions and celebrations date back more than 150 years.
But before we get to that, I just want to take the opportunity to say thank you for subscribing to FLORIDA TODAY and supporting local journalism.
Before President Biden made it an official holiday, you might have known about Juneteenth or had an idea or, like the majority of Americans, you might not have known much about it at all.
In his story this week, Breaking News reporter J.D. Gallop wrote "A Gallup Poll taken in 2021 showed about 37 percent of U.S. adults know something about Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops turned up in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to tell the enslaved people that they had been freed, months after the Civil War ended."
I've worked with J.D. since I started with FLORIDA TODAY in November 1997. In fact, his wife Rolanda, a former metro editor on our team, started with Gannett on the same day I did. We actually went through orientation together. To say I've worked with and known J.D. for a while is an understatement.
I wanted to get a little more knowledge as to why J.D. thought this story was important to write and what it was like including the entire USA Today Florida network into his article.
Question: Why is it so important to teach people about Juneteenth?
J.D.: It’s important because it is American history. Slavery or the enslavement of millions of Blacks is a part of our history in every way, from the foundation to our nation’s economic growth leading up to the Civil War. It’s important to know that freedom is a human right for all people and that we must learn about man’s inhumanity to humankind so that we don’t repeat the horrors of history like the Holocaust or the American chattel system of slavery. We just can’t shut the door to the past and wish for the best.
Q: What was it like talking to people in our community and across the state about this story?
J.D.: Well, it was good. To see and hear how different parts of our state and nation are commemorating with joy, the end of one of the saddest chapters in our shared national story, is inspiring. I grew up hearing vague stories about Juneteenth so to listen to people talk about growing up in Texas and having large community barbecues and concerts was intriguing and sounded so vibrant. And that is one of the messages of Juneteenth; that we don’t stop here, we step into the moment and put our best foot forward to the future.
Q: What was your biggest challenge to putting this article together?
J.D.: Well, for the most part it was a collaboration involving several of our newspapers statewide. So getting what we call ‘newsfeeds,’ then weaving them together to tell the story of how this holiday seems to be taking root in our cultural tapestry took a little time to do. But I enjoyed it. One thing that also stood out was how some Floridians focus on the Floridian day of Emancipation on May 20. It almost sounded as if some were drawing lines over celebrating what might seem to others as a unifying theme. But the fact that we are talking about celebrating history and not burying it is a good thing indeed.
Q: What is the most important thing you hope people learn from your story?
J.D.: The most important thing is that we can celebrate each other. And our calendar is filled with those opportunities. I enjoy hearing the stories of folks whose life and struggle come alive during community celebrations. With that, I would tell people go to a Juneteenth festival, or the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Palm Bay or attend a Passover Seder or an Italian festival. Celebrate each other, find that common ground. That’s my hope.
There are a few ways to celebrate Juneteenth in Brevard County. The events in both Cocoa and Melbourne take place on Saturday rather than on Monday - the official federally recognized holiday. You can learn about those events here. You can also learn about a book drive that's happening as part of the Juneteenth celebration in Brevard by clicking here.
You can read J.D.'s story here and I've placed it down below with some of the subscriber exclusive stories your support helped us provide this week.
You can reach J.D. via email at jgallop@floridatoday.com or on Facebook and Twitter.
And as always, you can reach me at rlanders@floridatoday.com. Or you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube (just click the name, the internet will do the rest).
Thank you again for subscribing and for supporting local journalism and journalists like J.D. and me.
That's it for now. I'll bring you more next week.
Sr. Multimedia Editor
FLORIDA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Juneteenth provides opportunity to celebrate 'freedom for all'
