Juneteenth

 The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln and became official on January 1, 1863, declaring the more than three million enslaved people of Confederate states free. Yet it would take two and a half years for the order to reach Texas, where the announcement was read by Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger in Galveston on June 19, 1865.

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"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."

It’s said that the newly freed peoples “immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.”

Why the two-year delay between when Lincoln issued the order and the news reaching Texas? There are a number of ideas: One says that a messenger was killed on his way to deliver the news; another says that the news was withheld to maintain the enslaved labor force that Texas plantations were reliant upon; and another idea surmises that the news was delayed purposely, to allow a final harvest to take place. But no matter the reason, slavery remained in Texas until the day now recognized and celebrated as Juneteenth.

Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

TULSA, OK - JUNE 19: A family poses for a picture during the Juneteenth Festival on June 19, 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Juneteenth celebrations, now recognized as a federal holiday, are taking place around the country in recognition of the emancipation of enslaved African-American people.

Juneteenth festivities followed each year and were special gatherings, where Black communities shared meals together, donned new clothing (representing new freedoms), and sang and prayed. For years, these celebrations were highly attended, until economic factors, cultural reasons, and racism reduced education about and knowledge of the holiday. The holiday would begin to see a resurgence with the civil rights movement of the sixties, when student demonstrators wore Juneteenth buttons.

The Path to National Recognition of Juneteenth

Black Texas legislator Al Edwards’s efforts prevailed in 1980, and Juneteenth was declared a state holiday, the first official state recognition of the day. Almost every state in the union officially recognized the holiday by 2021. Hawaii passed legislation recognizing the date in 2021, leaving South Dakota as the only state in the Union that did not declared Juneteenth a holiday before a Congressional bill was signed by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021. The executive action made Juneteenth an annual federal holiday on June 19.

Emanuel AME Church

 Ten years ago, June 17, 2015 black saints gathered for prayer and study at Mother Emanuel AME Church.

They welcomed a stranger.

They opened the Word.

They were murdered in cold blood.

We remember their names:We grieve their loss.

We commit to justice

Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney – senior pastor of Emanuel AME Church and South Carolina state senator

Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton – pastor, speech therapist, and high school track coach

Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr. – retired pastor and longtime member of Emanuel AME

Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor – minister and admissions coordinator at Southern Wesleyan University

Rev. Myra Thompson – member of the church’s leadership and Bible study teacher that evening

Mrs. Ethel Lance – church sexton, known for her warmth and deep faith

Mrs. Susie Jackson – longtime church member, choir singer, and cousin of Ethel Lance

Mr. Tywanza Sanders – recent college graduate, aspiring entrepreneur, and Susie Jackson’s grandnephew

Mrs. Cynthia Hurd – librarian and public servant with the Charleston County Public Library for over 30 years

We grieve their loss.

We commit to justice.

Father's Day

My Daddy died 75 years ago when I was still a child. I miss taking walks with my father. I don't know what we would have talked about should we have taken long walks at dawn. We live at different times in different worlds having different conversations. I don't so much miss him, as miss never having had him to talk together on early morning walks at dawn. Would we know each other now? Would we walk together? I have no idea. Yes, yes, I think so. I think we would have walked, perhaps silently together some early days at dawn. 

Protest

 Hundreds of people--too many to count--gathered in Central Park in Mason City, Iowa, for "No Kings" Day. After listening to speeches protesting Trump's authoritarian rule, the group marched to the highway so that people could see and hear them. Passing cars honked in approval.  Today there were more than 30 "No Kings" protests in towns and cities across Iowa. 

No Kings Day June 13

 

USAID

 Many troublesome things are going on. However, in the midst of these issues we also must not forget the cuts to USAID. People around the world are dying and will die because of these cuts! Continue to contact the Congress to work to restore this vital work. Call 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to any U.S. Representative or Senator.  Help save lives

Military troops

 This is what it's like to have U.S. military troops aimed at you! This was Burton's experience in 1967 in Detroit.  However, then there were no deportations, no ICE raids.  Today we live in a very dangerous time.

East Park roses

 It's June. Roses in East Park. Nice.

No Kings Day i Saturday, June 14

 

No Kings Day is Saturday, June 14. over 1800 rallies are planned across the country. The parade will take place as National Guard units have been sent to crack down on protesters in Los Angeles County, where thousands are rallying to protect families and neighbors from abduction by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mobilizing the National Guard — while preparing to deploy U.S. Marines without justification or a request from California’s governor — is a clear sign that the Trump administration seeks to incite and provoke escalation to further justify the use of military force and authoritarian abuses of power against American citizens. June 14 is also flag day. The U.S. flag is for everyone. 

D-Day

 D-Day 2025, commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Normandy Landings, will be observed on June 6th, 2025. This date marks the start of the Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944, a pivotal moment in World War II. 

65th anniversary

 June 5th is the 65th anniversary of my consecration as a Lutheran deaconess. I am thankful for all of the people among whom I've been privileged to minister. I thank God for you! These pictures are from the time of my consecration until now. And one is of me two years ago with the statue of "Phoebe" which has stood outside Deaconess Hall and now the Lutheran Diaconal Center all these years.