Yesterday, we flew the flag in observance of Juneteenth. Because I work for a government entity, I had the day off. I believe the official Juneteenth fell on Sunday, the 19th, so they gave us the next day off. I'll be the first to admit I do not know much about the holiday. My understanding is the term Juneteenth comes from an event that took place in Texas when troops notified the state that all slaves were made free when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
That document was signed two and a half years before the troops arrived.
We celebrate and honor many events. Remembering the anniversary when humans were acknowledged to have the same rights as everyone else is certainly a reason to take time to remember.
Because it was a day off, I stayed off of social media (for the most part...) throughout the day. I'm glad I did. You see, for me, putting out the flag and remembering that even though our country has many scares from past mistakes, there was a time when incredible news changed the lives of generations of Americans. If I had spent a lot of time on social media, I would have been inundated by options, both for and against, the holiday, opinions not to persuade, but for expression.
I'm glad there are outlets for people to express their opinions, and I'm glad I didn't allow those to opinions to taint the day for me. I wanted to keep and honor the day my own way. I was happy to celebrate for me an incredible event in our nation's history...one of many.
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