True understanding of history requires living, passionate advocates to give its varied, interwoven threads a chorus of compelling voices.
Two weeks ago, Saline Journal revisted the US Civil War through the story of a dedicated young soldier who died at The Battle of Antietam. There is more to the honored sacrifices remembered on Memorial Day than could ever be summarized in a presentation before the Soldiers & Sailors monument in Oak Wood Cemetery. There is more, too, to the so-called ends of the Civil War than the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Juneteenth” is an ongoing, vibrant celebration that further humanizes that story. This is the fuller context of the Webster Ruckman sacrifice at Antietam — available thanks to living, passionate advocates here to share it. [4,5]
Juneteenth … celebrates a belated liberation. Enslaved people in the Confederacy who didn’t manage to escape to Union lines or find themselves in occupied territory were not all made free by Lincoln’s proclamation, and had to await the end of the Civil War to take their first free breaths. In isolated Texas, word of the official end of fighting, the surrenders of generals Lee and Johnston, and the capture of President Davis through May of 1865 arrived late. Freedom finally came to Texas on June 19 of that year, after a proclamation by General Gordon Granger in Galveston solidified the emancipation of the quarter-million enslaved people in the state.
During a Juneteenth event held this past Saturday in Wheeler Park, Saline Journal was able to spend time discussing present-day relevance of this with Ann Arbor Branch NAACP President William V Hampton. [6,7]
“In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed,” he began. “Slaves in Texas didn’t find out about it until over two years later.” Legal rights notwithstanding, this was an issue of those who had had access to free labor not wanting to give it up. If slaves were not aware of their change in status, what incentive was there to tell them? [8]
Next year will mark the twenty-fifth year that an event has been held locally to celebrate Juneteenth. If the original commemorations just after the Civil War ended were to note a belated communication about liberation, the modern day equivalent shines a light on the continued need for issue awareness.
Why doesn’t everyone know about Juneteenth?
“They don’t know about this because it’s not their experience,” Mr Hampton patiently replied. “It’s always valuable to respect and appreciate differences.” He went on to remind us that the NAACP was formed by nine individuals of whom only three were African American. Additionally, of those nine, five were women.
William V Hampton has been actively involved in the NAACP since the 1960s and as such has a rich history of his own as ante to this discussion. He has also served as Branch President for fourteen years now.
“All of our experiences are different. The only way to learn is to engage in conversation. To ‘understand’ doesn’t mean to ‘agree.’ The current political situation has people on this side throwing rocks at people on that side, and people on that side throwing rocks at people on this side. To understand, you can not invalidate and tell people they’re stupid.
“Part of having this work is dealing with people that don’t look like you,” he concluded. “We’re making the effort here to be inclusive.”
You can continue to grow your own understanding by looking for #juneteenth and #juneteenth2018 hashtags on social media. Don’t be reluctant to pass along information both basic and detailed.
Maybe even start to think about what you, personally, might bring to a Juneteenth “Cake Walk” next year in Ann Arbor. [9]
References
- “You Should Get to Know former Saline Resident Webster Ruckman at Some Point in Your Memorial Day Schedule” Dell Deaton (May 28, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “Emancipation Proclamation” (Library of Congress) Abraham Lincoln (January 1, 1963).
- “Emancipation Proclamation” PBS.
- “The Quintessential Americanness of Juneteenth” Vann R Newkirk II (June 19, 2017) The Atlantic.
- “What Is Juneteenth?” Henry Louis Gates Jr, PBS.
- NAACP (home page).
- The Ann Arbor Branch of the NAACP (home page).
- “12 Things You Might Not Know About Juneteenth” Stacy Conradt (June 13, 2018) Mental Floss.
- “Cake Walk Evokes Bitter Times” David Montgomery (June 27, 1996) The Washington Post.
