Never Forget!
First published in 2020, I have republished this bLOG every year on this date. All of creation comes from the Creator, and ALL HUMANITY is made in the image chosen by an Infinite and Intelligent Designer. This means ALL people, regardless of creed, color, language, economic status, good, evil, etc. Yes, ALL PEOPLE!
Today, I once again acknowledge that this is an important day, and I celebrate with those who still suffer from prejudice, stereotypes, and even systems that many of the rest of us cannot fully comprehend. Thank you for being patient with us; graciously help us learn and understand.
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Why June 19th (Juneteenth)?
It had been more than two years since the now-deceased President, Abraham Lincoln, had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing the institution of slavery in the United States. Texas was the last holdout following the end of the war, so the Emancipation Proclamation had little to no impact on the enslaved people of that state.
On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger and his regiment rode into Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over; more than a quarter of a million enslaved Texans were now free.
So in a way, this is an independence day celebration for a people who were not free when another declaration of emancipation was penned and signed 89 years before the first Juneteenth: The Declaration of Independence.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence
So why not celebrate today with our fellow American brothers and sisters of color? Let us find common ground.
To you, women and men created equal and endowed by the Author of Life, the Universe, and Everything with unalienable rights, from this Hitchhiker who was emancipated from my sin by the Triune God of Grace:
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