Of the many challenges facing America today, racism is arguably the most problematic for many reasons.
Is it “free speech”? Is it human nature? Some believe it’s ordained by God! And Juneteenth is the perfect time to explore how (not if) racism has affected you. (PS: I used to think racism wasn’t my problem either…)
What is racism? It is “prejudice, discrimination, or hostility held by an individual, community, or organization against a person or people because of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically a minority or marginalized group.” (Wikipedia)
More importantly, it is an affront to human dignity, a source of hatred and division, and a destructive disease of society. This was recognized by the founders of our democracy. First, a bit of history that you may not know.
Anyone else reading this…
The Library of Congress houses the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. Among the many grievances Jefferson raised against the King of England was the existence of slavery in the colonies.
“He has waged a cruel war against humanity itself, violating the most sacred rights of life and liberty of distant peoples who have never offended him, carrying them captive as slaves in another hemisphere, or inflicting a terrible death on them in the transport there. This piracy, this reproach against heathen power, is the war of the Christian King of England…”
A draft of the Declaration of Independence is kept in Washington. It was written by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin before being adopted by Congress.
AP file photo
While the 18th century language may be difficult for today’s readers, it is clearly a scathing indictment of slavery and religious commitment.
If this passage had remained, it could have greatly changed the course of our nation’s history. Unfortunately, it was removed before the ratification vote.
In 1743, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was born in Shadwell, Virginia.
AP
The short answer is that many of the delegates and the colonies they represented had a vested interest in the perpetuation of chattel slavery: Southern plantation owners argued they needed free labor to produce tobacco, cotton, and other cash crops for export, while Northern shipping merchants relied on the transatlantic triangular trade of rum, sugar (usually molasses), and enslaved Africans.
Finally, slavery in America was in decline, and there was a widespread belief that emancipation was imminent and inevitable. The delegates took the path of least resistance and chose not to confront this divisive issue head-on.
While America had to wait until the Civil War to end slavery, the British Empire did not.
Unfortunately, we did not follow their example.
In 1833, the British Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act, granting freedom to all slaves within the British Empire.
The British government paid compensation to slave owners; the amount a plantation owner received depended on the number of slaves they owned. The process of freeing the British Empire’s 768,000 slaves lasted four years, ending on August 1, 1838, just after Queen Victoria’s coronation.
For the remainder of Queen Victoria’s reign, the British believed that the purpose of their empire was to bring civilization to the colonies and that their empire was a force for good. The abolition of slavery allowed the British to claim that their empire, unlike any other empire, past or present, had a moral dimension.
The abolition of slavery and the slave trade became a source of pride for the British and gave them a sense of cultural superiority.
America chose the Civil War, which resulted in the deaths of up to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilian casualties. The Civil War was the deadliest military conflict in American history, but you’ll have to read about that in another article.
Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19th to commemorate the end of slavery.
The holiday’s name is a combination of the words “June” and “19th,” and refers to the day on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.
Thus began the long march toward realizing Thomas Jefferson’s vision of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” for all people.
The celebration is believed to have three objectives: to celebrate, to educate and to inspire.
Despite the efforts already made to eliminate racism, it continues to have a harmful impact on our country. Progress towards tolerance, mutual respect and unity has been painfully slow and fraught with repeated setbacks.
The recent resurgence of racial hostility, the increase in racial incidents, and the deepening desperation of minorities and the poor make the need for a solution all the more urgent and vital. To ignore this problem puts the nation in physical, moral, and spiritual danger.
What can you do? The Montana Historical Society, Myrna Loy, Holter Museum of Art, City of Helena, Montana Arts Mobile and Lewis & Clark Brewing Company are teaming up to celebrate Juneteenth National Freedom Day with a block party at Myrna Loy on June 22nd.
Please join us! For more information, please visit themyrnaloy.com.
We can learn to identify and work to eliminate racism in ourselves, our communities, and our nation by heeding the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:18: “If possible, so far as it is in your power to do so, live peaceably with all men.”
I would like to conclude with a short excerpt from the Baha’i Faith: “Know ye not? Why have we created you all from the same dust, that none may have an advantage over another? Reflect always in your hearts how ye were created?”
Clifford Stevens is a former Air Force meteorologist, solar observatory operator, and data manager. He also retired from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, where he specialized in air quality and database management. He moved to Helena in 2015 and currently works for the Pearson Professional Testing Center. He is the treasurer for the Baha’i Local Spiritual Congregation of Helena. He has degrees in technical writing, computer science, and meteorology.
