1/2 of Juneteenth
- Vernon C. Lindsay, PhD
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
We know half the story of Juneteenth. On June 19th, 1865, emancipation reached enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas. That’s one half of today’s holiday.
The other half includes accounts of former enslavers choosing to die by suicide on the day of Jubilee. They couldn’t fathom living without the exploitation of African labor and perceived death as the comfortable alternative.
Their decisions indicated the value of African bodies. Masters assessed slaves as priceless.
If we consider history, the “priceless” Mastercard campaigns, and our relationship to credit card debt, you can see the master – slave narrative come full circle. Have you ever felt like a slave to debt?
I digress. Let’s get back to the story.
From the moment Lincoln proposed emancipation, it took over three years to implement. In 1862, Lincoln attempted to convince politicians to free enslaved people; they weren’t having it. January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but in May and June of 1865, many Africans remained in bondage.
The complexities of the motivating factors, processes, and resistance are often ignored.
In Edward E. Baptist’s book, “The Half Has Never Been Told,” he explores how slavey formed the foundation for American capitalism. The exploitation of African land, labor, and natural resources positioned the United States as a superpower on the world stage. Baptist argues that the commodification and torture of Black/African bodies formed America’s foundation.
To illustrate Baptist’s perspective and research, he assigned body parts to the chapter titles in his book. The Table of Contents reads: Introduction: The Heart; 1. Feet; 2. Heads; 3. Right Hand; 4. Left Hand; 5. Tongues; 6. Breath; 7. Seed; 8. Blood; 9. Backs; 10. Arms; 11. Afterword: The Corpse. From 1783 – 1937, Baptist explains how Africans unwillingly created America’s economic and political systems.
He wrote, “More broadly, the history of feet and heads, hands, tongues, breath, seed, blood, and backs and arms had made all of African America, the United States, and the modern world” (411).
While I haven’t finished reading the book, I can see the line between slavery, freedom, and power. When you can control a person’s body, you can dictate their thinking, being, and acting. In these restrictive relationships, liberation often involves violence.
Consider the Civil War, the American Revolutionary War, or the recent Iran-US conflict. Blood is spilled when the risks of losing freedom, power, and money are imminent.
Baptist argues that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation as a war strategy. It was not signed as an act of kindness, but rather as a tactic to dismantle the Confederate army and recruit more Union soldiers. Eventually it worked.
Today we celebrate liberation, but the psychological, spiritual, and in some instances physical chains of slavery persist. We must uncover what’s preventing us from realizing our potential and do the work to transform freedom from an idea to a reality for all people.
Let’s start with answering these questions:
Do we need to spend more time reading instead of scrolling on social media?
Are we lacking the faith community and individual commitment to support the development of our spiritual selves?
How do our diet and exercise habits align with our health and wellness values?
Beyond voting and complaining, what else do we do to free ourselves, our families, and our communities?
Before we can answer the previous questions, maybe we should start by defining freedom.
Freedom for me involves autonomy and discipline. I want to dictate when and how I work, sleep, spend time with family, move my body, write, pray, meditate, or do whatever else I feel is important. Discipline helps discern when to engage in these emancipatory activities.
Let’s also remember Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “Nobody is free until everybody is free.”
We must define freedom for ourselves and with our community. The Zulu of South Africa call this collective philosophy and way of being Ubuntu.
On this Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekend, engage in reflection and provide gifts of knowledge, support, and community. Subscribe to this blog. Purchase Baptist’s book or one of mine. Enroll in a course or coaching services.