Juneteenth Day is the celebration of the ending of slavery in the USA. In 1865, US Army troops arrived in Texas and officially announced that slaves were free by executive decree. Texas was the last of the confederate states to grant slaves their freedom. Texas was also the first state to make Juneteenth Day an official holiday. African Americans it is time to take freedom to another level in 2023. It is time for African Americans to grasp the true meaning of freedom and transform Juneteenth Day into a true celebration of the word.
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Martin Luther King, Jr., said those famous words. It is time for African Americans to make those words a reality and have Juneteenth Day stand for real freedom. The majority of African Americans are physically free in the USA. The goal from this day forth is to have African Americans add spiritual and mental freedom to the equation. Juneteenth Day 2023 represents the creation of a celebration of freedom for African Americans on all levels of existence. African Americans are more than pieces in some sadistic game designed by white people to continue white dominance.
African Americans are descendants of the greatest scientists, healers, thinkers and geniuses in the history of this planet. It is time for African Americans to understand this and apply their talents in ways conducive to their advancement. African American advancement should not be gauged by white standards. African American potential is greater than any flow chart white people can design. African Americans have to understand that their greatest achievement in this modern white paradigm doesn’t even begin to showcase their talents.
African Americans are using the form of freedom granted by whites in the USA to further white ambition. African American should start siphoning parts of their creative potential into pursuits that enhance their growth on all levels. The growth African Americans need to jump start is a growth process that enables them to understand who and what they are. African Americans need a prototype for success/life that is not subject to any white guidelines. Free people do not use the standards of their oppressors to gauge their growth. Free people create educational, religious and economic paths that ensure their people stay free and can reach their true potential. It is time for African Americans to start doing this on a national level. It is time to make Juneteenth Day truly represent freedom.
This does not mean that it is time for African Americans to quit jobs and start acting violent. It is time for African Americans to understand that white society will never free them. Yet, white society can be used, with caution, to create means to gain freedom for African Americans. The money generated via African American participation in sports can be used to create an education system that will cater to African Americans. The goal is not to own professional teams and be your own slave masters. The goal is to create an educational system that enhances African American intelligence to the point where participation in sports for profit is not needed.
We need an educational system and culture that does not revolve around white dollars which leads to African American exploitation. A system/culture should free future African Americans from the ignorance that has permeated the African American psyche. We need a freedom that helps African Americans understand how and why white society has hampered their growth on all levels of existence – freedom to exhibit compassion to these same scared white people; freedom to choose how you want to live; freedom to choose how you want to think. Freedom to choose how you want to act and who you want to be around; freedom to relax knowing that there is peace in your mind and in your community. These are examples of what the truly free enjoy in life. African American people, it is time to make Juneteenth Day represent this type of freedom.
Frank James IV © 2023
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
