"ARISE! ARISE!
Shake off your chains
Your cause is just so Heaven ordains
To you shall Freedom be Proclaimed"
What if you had no record of when or where you were born, no family, nor any records of your family history? From your earliest recollection all you remember is working your fingers to the bone from sun up to sun down, daily with the scorching sun at your back. Your hands are tired, sore and bleeding but no one cares. Sweat pours down your face, stings your eyes and the taste of it cause your tongue to swell. Your mouth feels like cotton, the thirst is unbearable. They haven't passed the water pail yet, but you're dying for just one sip. You know if you stop working or slow down in pace the field overseers will whip you raw. You continue on but you've had enough of this dwelling, only it seems there's no way out. The anxiety is so great you can't stand it anymore. There's this burning pain inside growing stronger and more intense each day.
Your soul cries out with the sickest pain dreading your miserable existence. Through your tears you look upward to the clouds screaming lord! lord! deliver me pleaseee! Between your screams you can hear the screams of someone else sounding closer and closer. You spot a fellow slave running towards you but you can't quite understand what he's yelling about. As he gets closer it looks like he's happy and jubilant, just then you discern exactly what he's crying about. We're free! hallelujah! We're free! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Come on! Come with me, we have to let the others know! we're free! Hallelujah! Praise GOD, Hallelujah! Tears started to form in his eyes. Don't you hear me? we're free! You want to ask him how. Before you can ask one question, in the distance you hear more freedom cries, you see other slaves dancing, jumping and yelling for joy. You finally ask since when have we been free? June, June something teenth, I don't know, I don't remember, its June something, June, Juneteenth! That's what it is Juneteenth!
June 19, 1865, in Galveston Texas, it was the day of reckoning for the thousands of slaves and it certainly didn't come too soon. Freedom, the sweetest sound the slaves had ever wanted to hear, Freedom. The word quickly spread throughout Texas and the news was so powerful some of the slaves out right fainted, others wept in disbelief could this really be happening? Some immediately fell to their knees in prayer, believing that God had finally delivered them from a most dreadful life. Thank you LORD! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! There were many gatherings of these newly freed slaves all over the place, playing music, singing, dancing and just down right partying. "This freedom day, we'll name Juneteenth," All through the day and all through the night you could hear the most profound and beautiful spirituals sung with tumultuous joy from deep within the soul.
That precious day of freedom to the former slaves meant finally we have our lives! On January 1, 1863, The United States President, Commander-In-Chief Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order The Emancipation Proclamation which stated that all person's held as slaves within any State shall be forever free. The state of Texas refused to acknowledge the executive will. The slaves were kept in servitude. On June 19, 1865 General Gordon Ranger rode into Galveston Texas with his troops and followed the executive order by freeing all the slaves. The excitement was wild. June 19th will forever be a cherished day in African American history. The former slaves most likely knew that their newfound freedom would have some dire consequences. But no price for freedom is too high for those who have lived their entire lives in bondage. And, on this particular day of Juneteenth they were truly free! Today, Juneteenth is a time of remembrance of the horrors of the Maafa in America.
The Maafa is known as the African Holocaust, before and after slavery. The Juneteenth color red symbolizes the blood that was shed before during and after slavery. Though never recognized or appreciated, the vast wealth of this nation was built with the blood, sweat and tears of African souls. The men, women and children who had to endure slavery and the horrors should be honored by celebrating their love for freedom and have it nationally recognized. Juneteenth celebrations are held in close to all 50 states. Many of the States have adopted legislation to assure Juneteenth as a holiday. {There is a National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign requesting Congress to enact legislation to establish Juneteenth as a national day of observance in America.} Now you have your freedom, the sun shines a little brighter; the grass looks a little greener. For the first time you began to realize this earth you now walk freely on is strikingly beautiful. The mountains, the trees, the oceans, and the rivers enhance your love for being alive. Life is freedom and freedom is life.
ARISE! ARISE!
Today you have your life!
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