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Nancy L. Rogers's avatar

It's not the holiday itself to which the 14 object. It's the name. Just "Juneteenth" or "Juneteenth Emancipation Day" would have been acceptable.

I suppose it's the equivalent of having the National Anthem *and* the Black National Anthem. Both songs are fine, but the concern is that Black Americans will choose their special anthem and special day instead of the traditional ones, as a way to signify their rejection of "White America".

That's my theory, anyway.

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Miguelito's avatar

You are giving them the benefit of the doubt when they don’t deserve it. If it wasn’t the name, they’d find some other reason to object. The objection is the goal, and the excuses are manufactured to justify it to sound “reasonable”.

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Nancy L. Rogers's avatar

Perhaps that's true of some. However, I don't believe it applies to all of them. Massie and Roy have never given me reason to think they're at all racist.

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Miguelito's avatar

I don’t think it’s racist, per se. it’s more pandering to an loud and angry base that is currently very resistant to racial advocacy.

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linda's avatar

yep. Somewhat like the labor unions that wanted their special day so they got Labor Day. That translates into the three day weekend that marks kids going back to school and the official end of summer in reality. No on gives a darn about labor unions on this day.

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SGman's avatar

Who still goes to school after Labor Day? It's been moved into August, from what I've seen.

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linda's avatar

Next fall this will be the first time in my memory that that we will not start school the day after Labor Day.

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linda's avatar

If I got this right it was the day that Texas heard that Lincoln signed the proclamation. No wonder no one heard of it before. My black SIL from Detroit and his siblings (I asked) had never heard of it, either. No nevermind, it's worth a holiday even though it might have been a better holiday when Lincoln signed the proclamation and not when it reached Texas. History is like that.

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Steve Berman's avatar

Actually, historically it’s the day 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston County TX, 2 months after the end of the war, and ordered the last slaves freed.

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linda's avatar

The only reason I'm opposed to Juneteenth, aside that it must be the stupidest name ever, is that it is just another holiday that the worker bees must pay for gov't workers. It's not like it's going to help the black community or do anything of substance. It's just going to help sell retail goods. Let's face it...The only holidays that are taken seriously are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and the 4th. My son added Halloween but he has always been slow. ha Hope he sees this.

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