Happy Juneteenth!!!

Bren Sheriff
Bren Sheriff

Happy Juneteenth!!!

By Bren Sheriff, CSA

Unless you grew up in Texas the concept of Juneteenth as a holiday was not a part of your experience growing up.  Being from Tennessee I did not learn about Juneteenth until my most beloved friend, Margaret McCrumby, affectionately called Muff, shared with me the delight she experienced as a child growing up in Fort Worth. Texas in the 30’s and 40’s.  Her whole countenance changed when she relayed the many stories retrieved from her memories of Juneteenth Celebrations.  Her reflections were always about the wonderful experiences of food, entertainment, gifts, a day off from work, and a feeling of both the white and Black community coming together to celebrate that holiday as a unified community.

She said that beginning at sunset on June 18th, white and Black folks worked together to set-up the booths/tables, stages, and grills in anticipation of the give aways and entertainment to be experienced on the next day, June 19th.  During that time of annual celebration,  she often reflected on, how the multiracial cooperation in her community, for the Juneteenth celebration,  all but erased the ever present ugly divisive lines of segregation set by  “Jim Crow Laws”.   In her words, “On Juneteenth we didn’t feel, look, or act like downtrodden “Nigger’s.  We, on that day, until sundown were made to feel special”.

As she remembered, Juneteenth was a day that Black folks were on their best behavior.  “ We looked sharp, we felt sharp, we were sharp.  All across Black communities in both Fort Worth and Dallas, Juneteenth was celebrated with donations from the white businesses.   On that day Blacks didn’t have to spend any money, everything was free for the taking.  It was a time of hoarding by both children and adults.  Most children built their stash of sweet treats to last for weeks.  Adults stocked up on food and liquor.  Even though there was a lot of liquor consumed between sundown on the 18th to sundown on the 19th, there were seldom any fights or criminal acts during the Juneteenth Celebration, everyone was on their best behavior.

When I would listen to Muff and her family reminisce about the wonderful experiences they had celebrating as a Black and white community joining in to celebrate annually on Juneteenth, my question was why?  All that they knew was that “something happened on Juneteenth”, back in the time of slavery that started the celebration that caused white folks to feel obligated to give back to Black folks one day a year.  They were a little annoyed that I would even asked, “why?”.  It had never been a question in their mine, it was just something that they looked forward to celebrating every year without year without question – it just was.

Well, all of Muff’s family has passed on, none of them ever had children, so perhaps, I am the only one still living that can remember their “Juneteenth Celebrations” that mimicked the celebrations they had in Fort Worth.  However, I want to believe that they would be shocked, but pleasantly surprised that Juneteenth is now a national holiday.  Additionally, not only is Juneteenth celebrated nationally, the meaning of why Juneteenth was celebrated in Texas for almost 150 years, before it was recognized nationally, is now known, in part by the push of Opal Lee, a long-time resident of Fort Worth, Texas.  I find it ironic that Ms Lee and the McCrumby family may have shared memories of the same Juneteenth Celebrations since they share the same age range.  The irony is that Ms Lee knew and spread the history the origins of the Texas custom of celebrating Juneteenth and aggressively sought support through petitions to get “her beloved holiday” recognized as a holiday nationally.  Her hard work to get Juneteenth to become a national holiday paid off on June 17, 2021 when President Joe Biden signed it into law.

This year Juneteenth will be celebrating it’s fifth year as a national holiday.  How I pray that the spirit of Juneteenth’s celebration, which was the motivation of Miss Opal Lee’s crusade to make it a national holiday, will be in the hearts and minds of our nation, with the same spirit that it was celebrated by communities across Texas during the depression and war years of the last century.  The warmness of Black and white communities working together to create a day of celebration without know “why”, but receiving the beneficial joys of joining together to create a celebration worthy of making lasting memories and a commitment of continuing the custom annually.  A time with the joyfulness of the holiday would not be ruined by needless acts of violence but enhanced by the recognition of love and respect of the folks in our communities, sharing with pride, even for just one day a year, the joy of unity in our community.

Just as the removal of the physical shackles set those enslaved in Galveston, Texas free, leading them to celebrate Juneteenth as their day of  Jubilee and independence.  Now, let’s work on freeing and unshackling our community of hurt and harmed people by committing ourselves to being more loving, caring, and sharing with both family and strangers.  It’s amazing what our commitment to change - can change.  Let’s do it as we celebrate Juneteenth this year – let’s be the change which we can celebrate.  Happy Juneteenth!!! 

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ: At what age, in Illinois, is an elder driver required to take a road test to renew their license?

Answer to last week’s quiz: A revocable trust eliminates probate which is cotly and time consuming.

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 or basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, or any other licensed professional advice, you should contact the licensed professional of your choice for advice on your individual situation.

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