By Ryan Coleman
Juneteenth is the one of the oldest known commemorations related to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth was signed into law as a national holiday on June 17, 2021.
Credit: Courtesy Photo
The word “Juneteenth” is a Black English contraction, or portmanteau, of the month “June” and the number “nineteen.” Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent, located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from the slavery system in the United States. Junereenth is just a battle won.
We, in Baltimore County –and America– must confront an elephant in the room. This elephant in the room is a significant problem in 2024 that is very obvious to most people, but many do not wish to discuss the problem because it would make them uncomfortable. Moreover, a full discussion of the issues might result in a call for major structural changes — changes that people have been, so far, reluctant to make. Throughout the nation, this elephant is the utter failure to satisfactorily address systemic racism.
There might be a tendency for some to withdraw into training sessions, workshops and planning retreats to educate Whites. But however helpful these activities might be, the things needed most are equity and social justice policies and practices that replace policies and practices that have a disparate impact on the Black community. These equity and social justice action plans must have timetables for realizing specific goals and specific means of accountability to disrupt structural racism.
To defeat structural racism we must do the following for Black Americans:
1. Homeownership subsidies
2. Rental assistance: Expand and reform the housing choice voucher program
3. Baby bonds and other wealth-building tools
4. Strengthen Community-Based and Black-Owned Financial Institutions
5. Universal Pre-K
6. Expand magnet schools and high achieving schools for Black Americans
7. Expand access to vocational job training and community college
8. Forgive student debt
9. Reparations
10. Support minority owned business
11. Hold accountable our businesses, elected officials, our school systems, our neighbors and ourselves to ensure the same quality of life for Black Americans
12. Vote for individuals addressing structural racism
13. Join the Randallstown NAACP and other civic minded organizations
We all have a role to play in calling for greater accountability from our government, from law enforcement, our neighbors and ourselves. What we have today is simply not enough.
We need to work together to root out hate and replace it with a deep and abiding appreciation for diversity, equality and inclusion. It must start with each of us–and it must start now. Ryan Coleman, president of the Randallstown NAACP, can be reached at randallstownnaacp@gmail.com.
The post We celebrate Juneteenth, but Baltimore County residents want more appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
