What is Juneteenth and Why is it Needed?

[00:00:00] Never Again, Never Again, Never Again, Never Again Join Dr. Pius Kamal in the coalition against Global Genocide As we journey across the globe, taking a deep look at past, present in impending genocides and mass atrocities. Listen to experts who discuss not only the history but also the resiliency

[00:00:24] and mental health of people who are recovering from these heinous acts. Learn how we can move from bystander to active involvement, calling out genocidal acts where you are. What is Juneteenth and Why is it Needed? Good afternoon Dr. Van Howard. Greetings, how are you?

[00:00:50] Very well, and it's so wonderful to be talking to you on this Juneteenth day, one day, because Dr. Van Howard is a chairman of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Juneteenth, Colorado Holiday Commission. He is an international, one of our leaders in our state Colorado.

[00:01:17] We felt that the group that I represent coalition against Global Genocide would have a podcast regarding Juneteenth, which Dr. Howard is completely qualified to talk about. Tell us about Juneteenth. What, what imaginations from Mars? And I have to be in Colorado, tell me about Juneteenth.

[00:01:51] Well, in order to explain Juneteenth and its origins, I have to go back and talk to my Martian friend and take him all the way back to January 1 of 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln ensigned the emancipation proclamation. A lot of people have the misconception that the emancipation

[00:02:17] proclamation freed all slaves. It did not. It only freed the slaves in the confederate states. So what actually happened as the rumors were abound that President Lincoln was about to sign the information on New Year's Eve, black people and enslaved people started gathering around the

[00:02:44] different churches and private homes. And they had what was called a watch meeting. Now, watch meeting was to see if literally the emancipation proclamation had taken place.

[00:02:58] And so when the word came back that it had been, then there was joy. There were festivities and things that took place well as the civil war continued. And then the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were signed, which actually freed slaves

[00:03:18] then all slaves at this point in time. See, slavery was so successful because they did not allow the enslaved people to learn to read or to write. And in 1712 on the banks of the James River, Willie Lynch did up there and he said that he had a

[00:03:43] share of fire way of keeping the enslaved enslaved for 400 years. And he said, what you do is you turn them against each other.

[00:03:53] You take the light-skinned Africans or Americans is what they were at that point in time because many of them had been born here and you put them in the house.

[00:04:03] And you treat them differently than you do the dark-skinned enslaved people in the field. And this way you can put down on your overseers, you can cut down on the number of people who have to guard them because they will then start guarding themselves.

[00:04:19] So what happened in the next was after the 1314th and 15th amendments were signed. And all people were freed. Well, the word got back to some of the slaves and taxes that they were freed.

[00:04:38] And they didn't believe it because they were hearing it from other slaves, other slaves were traveling throughout the country, you know, celebrating the freedom when they got to taxes. They're telling them and they like, no, nope, you're not going to get me killed and lynched.

[00:04:54] And so they didn't want to believe that they were freed. And then Lieutenant Colonel Grander, a road into Galveston Bay on June 19th, 1865. He had about 2,000 union troops with him.

[00:05:13] And when they got there, they announced to over 250,000 people who were enslaved that they had been freed two years prior. And and that is when the true freedom took place. That's when true liberty took place. So what happened is they started calling it June 10th.

[00:05:39] And mind you know, June 10th has been celebrated in Texas ever since then even in 1900 they just had a festival and then it started catching on. You know, from, you know, Austin, it then started traveling back and forth throughout the nation and then it picked up its.

[00:05:59] It really picked up and took a run throughout the country. And then during the re construction of the country from 1865 to about 187577 somewhere in that it marked the era of hope and and and on certainty.

[00:06:18] And here's the ironic piece there were more black people in Congress during the reconstruction of this country than then there are today. Oh, yeah, of course, of course, I think things things change immediately into a.

[00:06:36] Soon as blacks were given freedom, many of them voted and send send their representative to the Congress. Yes, and understand though now in the south they did not want black people to vote you have to remember that.

[00:06:55] Yes, and this is why they created all of the different obstacles that black people had to go through to recite the preample to the, or do the constitution and and and they had to be able to read and right whereas there were a lot of white people that weren't able to read and right.

[00:07:16] And yet still they allowed them to vote. So a lot of things did change immediately. In fact, lynchings took place in fact here's another historical fact that a lot of people don't realize that the 1314 and 15th amendments as well as the emancipation proclamation did not.

[00:07:37] And I'm going to say this a second time did not, I'm saying the third time did not do away with the fugitive slave act. So say that I'll use you and I as an example again say that you and I had escaped from a plantation.

[00:07:54] We were fugitive slaves and they still had bounties out on our head. Even if enough to put the proclamation even after the proclamation, even after the 13th and 14th amendments yes sir. Wow. Yeah. When did that change then?

[00:08:09] That actually changed when the supreme court they said that first fall slavery was unjust and should not had taken place to begin with. And that's actually when it changed ironically a lot of people's attitudes in the opinion still did not change.

[00:08:26] Dr. Prius, what was happening imagine this in the 1700s they're bringing these Africans over and enslaving them notice I'm not saying that they were slaves they enslaved them there's a difference.

[00:08:42] So they enslaved them then they had them start breeding and by and through the natural course of nature men and women were having children well. Guess what those children were born in America that makes them native Americans.

[00:08:58] And so and then as they had children as they had children as they had children as they had children. You know they all became Americans citizens natural born native Americans.

[00:09:14] So so notice I didn't say indigenous Americans I said native Americans and there's a difference in the two of those as well. So so the question is and I find this fascinating with the 1340s in 15th amendments after being passed.

[00:09:35] But the enslaved people three then or not and if they are not did the proclamation you know which brought the dunes decloration. Did that then make these people three that at a moment.

[00:09:55] Dr. V 15th amendment was signed that freed the enslaved people they everyone was free at that point in time.

[00:10:03] Right so now that there were free under the new that there are three could they leave Texas and go to other states absolutely not be chased you know people that are chasing them looking for escape slaves.

[00:10:21] No because like I said the fugitive slave act will still in a that.

[00:10:27] So so what I'm trying to understand is what what did the proclamation allow them the black people to do then if you're talking about the emancipation population if that's what you refer into it only freed the slaves in 1863 in the confederate states.

[00:10:50] For example here's a good example say that there were slaves in Colorado which there were say that there were slaves in Kansas which there were say that there were slaves in California they weren't freed. I found interesting.

[00:11:04] But it only freed the slaves in the confederate states and so essentially this slaves that when those states where there was the civil war exactly. Wow you see that that's something I think many of us don't quite understand you know.

[00:11:24] At which point then the slaves in the union states when do they when were they freed. They were freed when the 1314 and 15th amendments were signed in 1865. I mean in 1863 for giving.

[00:11:42] Okay so okay so in 1863 all all black people all enslaved people in the northern south were free. Yes. Okay and then in 1865 the people the the in 17.9 in Texas were informed of their freedom. Yes.

[00:12:06] Okay so the next the next interesting thing that we were talking about was how some of these people many of them was elected to go to Congress.

[00:12:19] Yes and and we we were seeing many many more black legislators then then we have you know we have today for example. Could you talk a bit more about that because that's important.

[00:12:33] Yeah see I was passed the 13th amendment which is the amendment that freed the slaves okay and abolishing slavery all across the country okay and that was done on January 31 of 1865. And it was ratified on the 106 of 1865 and the 13th amendment abolished slavery all the way around.

[00:13:02] Well now understand that the 14th of the 15th amendment then said that every man. Can vote every American citizen could vote so they what happened is in the areas where there were a large.

[00:13:21] population of black people and let's take the south because they mainly came out of the south for the most part. Right then they voted and sent people to Congress that were in their area whom they knew and then this is when they started doing.

[00:13:41] And then they said, I'm going to ask a question. I know it's your show and you asked the questions. However I'm asking you a question. Why do you want to say that? I'm going to ask you a question. Why do you want to ask me a question?

[00:13:56] I don't know. I'm going to ask a question. I know it's your show and you asked the questions. However I'm asking you a question. Why do we vote on Tuesday? You know, I don't know. A lot of folks don't.

[00:14:14] The reason why we vote on Tuesday is because before they were all these major. Metropolitain areas before all of this wonderful, wonderful easy so-called easy voting to place farmers made up the majority of the voting public.

[00:14:38] So what happened is farmers would plant their crops in May and April. They were harvest their crops in October, November. So think about this. If harvesting your crops in November means that you're going to miss the election, then what are you going to do?

[00:15:01] Harvest your crops which is what makes you living or are you going to go and cast your vote. So what they decided to do was to make it easier for farmers to vote. They would harvest their crops Thursday Friday Saturday. They would go to church on Sunday.

[00:15:22] So they travel on Monday and they vote on Tuesday. Go to the farmers market on Wednesday, perhaps Thursday and Friday and head back home Friday and Saturday to be in church on Sunday.

[00:15:35] Look at your vote as money because they're doing everything they can now to take away your vote. If your vote wasn't valuable, they wouldn't be trying to take it away. Your vote is what makes the laws think about this when the 13th Amendment passed Congress.

[00:15:58] It passed 119 to 56 is how it passed the House. A matchman. Very popular. Well, yeah, at a time when it wasn't popular. Yes, that. So the vote decision means power. Is it essentially how are you going to pass laws? To be a human being is to have rights. Yes.

[00:16:31] And that's I think that sort of vote essentially is in a paper declaring you are your human being. You have the rights of a citizen. Now along the way, my understanding is that there's a point where a black person was valued at three fifths of a human being.

[00:16:58] Is it a political decision? Yes, it was. It was actually during the Constitution when the Constitution was being written. What happened was the northern states was complaining because once again, your congressional delegation consists of the number of people of people in your the population in your particular district.

[00:17:21] Well, the thing was is you take these plantation owners are the planners classes what they were called the planners class. You take them and they might have a thousand slaves are enslaved people. Right.

[00:17:37] In fact, think about this when a curl grander got to Gabestan Bay in Texas on June 19th of 1865. 250,000. That's right. We're released. 250,000 in the state of Texas alone then take and spread that over Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina. Alabama Louisiana Mississippi.

[00:18:11] So when they had those many people see they considered them livestock, but they considered them people at the same time. I'm going to repeat that. They considered them livestock. That's how the enslaved people were ensured as livestock.

[00:18:32] And then and then what they did is the northern states said no, you cannot count all those people because then that would give the southern states more delegates for the house of representatives.

[00:18:48] And then they would entrole the laws all the way all the way around and if that had a taken place, then the whole country would have been a enslaved nation. Well, that's when the northern states said okay.

[00:19:02] The compromise was they could count each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person. Wow. Isn't that beautiful? I mean it's truly amazing that smart people educated people, philosophers, et cetera would actually act risk to saying this human being is was the same.

[00:19:28] And being is was three and the house of another human being. Yes, sir. It's it's it's truly us counting. They actually believed in their mind that we were three-fifths of the human that we weren't nearby to smart as they were.

[00:19:44] And I don't want folks to get this wrong. However, I'm gonna say this. And World War II there was 120,000 Japanese in this country. 100,000 of those were American citizens. The other 20,000 had came over from Japan when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. They interned that 120,000 people.

[00:20:15] In 1985 Ronald Reagan issued a formal apology and gave them reparations where each of the interned was given at the time at amounted to $15,000. So if you had a household of five, okay, what bugs me the most about that is we haven't had a present today who apologized.

[00:20:44] To the black Americans for slavery. Nor, nor have we had one that is willing to do it President Abraham Lincoln and General Gretma's going to do which was give us the reparations, the 40 acres and the mule.

[00:21:03] And mind you, that was for only the enslaved that was freed in 1865. And that's the piece of people people forget. The thing was that if you are already a freed African or black American, if you were never enslaved, you would not get that 40 acres in the mule.

[00:21:26] What happened is as the Europeans were coming over to this country, they would say, hey, boom, take this 40 acres in this mule and go over here and farm this land in Oklahoma. Kansas, Colorado, California, wherever. And of course, Colorado was part of the steel.

[00:21:46] They was giving the land that was promised to us, the land that we worked for, the land that we earned, the land that we sweat blood and tears. They were given it away freely to folk who had never done a nickel bit of work here.

[00:22:03] They literally landed at Ellis Island or anywhere on the Atlantic Sea shore, are the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf and they were given them land as they hit the ground just because they were white.

[00:22:20] Well, the interesting thing about the 40 acres in the mule is that a lot of people were actually given that land. I mean, in the slave people, what given that? And then it was taken away. That's right. That's right.

[00:22:38] These people, that land was theirs and the yet, the white insolvers, turned around and they disinherited the other black people. In fact, my understanding is that black people who were actually circling on that land were kicked off. That's right. Run out. Are murdered? Or a land?

[00:23:04] A burned alive, so forth, so on, etc. This is the reason why Juneteenth is so important and it's such a festivity, is such a festivity, because not only did black people gain their freedom. They gained their liberty and you would say, well, they're one of the same.

[00:23:26] That's a question then. Why is the black Americans fight in Americans war? Because we're Americans. Very good. They're sitting there. The end of the reason, because I think black Americans consider themselves Americans. No, no matter what the white establishment might think. Black Americans are rightfully considered themselves Americans.

[00:23:58] Yes. You know, because these people, these black people here, I've been here for 400 years. They're sweat and the blood is mixed with the soil of America. Yes. American has been built off of the backs of Washington DC by the foundation capital.

[00:24:24] And then it's going to, you know, to the next point, which is, do we think that all black Americans seal that way? Or even think of themselves that way?

[00:24:38] Because if they did, the fight that we would be seeing would be much more intense than we are going to see. I concur. See, you know, the fight of black Americans right now. First of all, we've never rise up against the country. I want to make that clear.

[00:25:01] No, we've rise up against the injustices of this country.

[00:25:06] You know, when you promise us the liberty, the pursuit of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of being able to be a land owner, our home owner or to be able to raise our children and send them to school.

[00:25:21] When, when, when we'll, we'll sit up and we talk about that way, the people. That grabs you right there. We, the people of the United States. And in order to form a more perfect union for all justice for everyone, justice for men, women, children.

[00:25:46] Justice for white, black, pink, purple, justice for straight, justice for gay, justice for Christian, justice for you, justice for atheists, justice for Protestant. Justice for all people, for all people who ensure domestic tranquility. Now let's think about that for a second. The domestic tranquility.

[00:26:11] When we think of the Civil War, it was a domestic unrest. There was no tranquility. And even in, you know, President Clinton, when he first started running for office, a lot of folks tend to pick it this. His slogan was, let's make America great again.

[00:26:32] That's literally, that's the real President Clinton slogan was. He said, let's go on and make American great again. Look at his Trump paying speeches. What Trump Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, it him. I run a 501C3 organization. So we're not talking politics.

[00:26:56] Well, never tell you how to vote or who to vote for. We'll just tell you what is literally public information. And so I just want to make that a point. You know, I'm not trying to compare Clinton to Trump by any means.

[00:27:13] However, I'm just showing when President Clinton was running for office, the same rhetoric that we're hearing today from 45 is what he was mentioning back, you know, back then. And what is so ironic is when we think about tranquility, domestic tranquility. Think about that for a minute.

[00:27:46] The domestic tranquility. When you have a, well, you have a January 6. I mean, that is that domestic tranquility. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. Yeah. And the second thing too, which I think is important, is that justice and equality and freedom are not things that are given to you.

[00:28:14] The things that you are, you are free and you are, you know, you're a full human being. You're not, you're not free of faiths. And then I think it's important for people who believe they are free because they are free to go out and proclaim their freedom.

[00:28:37] We have to proclaim my freedom every day, every day of our lives. Yes. And this is something that every person should be active about that. Yes. And it repeat to everybody, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free. It's not God, I'm free. This goes right back to me.

[00:29:00] I want to ask about why black Americans have fought in every war. And in my opinion, it's because of the freedom that we want. See, the thing is that the United States of America already treats us as a second class citizen. We're always the target.

[00:29:21] And because of that, we understand the obelence of America. It's rich, it's lavish, it's wonderful. It's all the wonderful things that we would want our country to be.

[00:29:35] And yes, when we stop and look at some folks who've gotten out of property and who black for people who are homeowners, landowners, business owners or these world-class athletes or any of those type of accolades.

[00:29:59] The question is, where else in the world could we achieve it with the cheet? Maybe Canada, maybe Europe, however, here in the United States of America, we've been able to successfully achieve the things and the goals that we have.

[00:30:15] We've had great people, great leaders along the way that helped us do it all the way to a lot of our domestic people. You know, the coalition against global genocide. I mean, think about that for a second.

[00:30:29] See, with America being a melting pot and we talk about global when the borders are open for people to come into this nation. And to live out their best life, to live out the American dream that we as black Americans don't get to live.

[00:30:50] So that's where I go about again, sort of say you have to proclaim it yourselves. Yes, you have to proclaim it. Be kidding you, exactly. Maybe the future has to be one of the leaders, maybe intensifying this struggle intensifying you are because I'm saying our,

[00:31:16] because I regret myself as a black person. You know, here, because I look in the mirror. So we're just saying, I am enjoying you who have been here for 400 years. I enjoy you and tell you that what we will do is help you push harder.

[00:31:40] And then proclaim harder that you are free because you are free. And because you deserve everything that you can get from this nation. Well, let's not forget that freedom is in free.

[00:31:57] Freedom isn't free. We have to fight and do what you just said, we have to proclaim it ourselves. And we have to fight for that freedom.

[00:32:04] Did you know that there's a new form of slavery 13th Amendment actually where they say that the only place a person to be a slave in this nation is in prison.

[00:32:16] Exactly. Exactly. And it that particular provision was utilized by the soils, you know, where they would, the same people who were enslaved before. They would put them in jail and help them walk for free. That's right. That's right. And take away their voting rights.

[00:32:38] That's exactly how you go. America has 2 million people in our jails. We have more people in our jails than any other nation. Yes, we're the freeest country. We're the democracy, but we have more people in our jails. And they work for free.

[00:32:59] This country is the greatest country on earth. I will go to my grave saying that. I hang a flight. I fly a flight outside my home and yet still as it's the greatest, it's also the most challenging. So, so, verna, there's a lot that we can cover.

[00:33:21] But that's a, Juntings is here with us. And it seems to be expanding in its now-affed role, it's a federal holiday. So, really, it's some good. And we need to sort of multiply that good. I work out and I do a lot of walking.

[00:33:41] And the message I sent was happy Juntings day. And I then said, however, can someone please explain to me why it is a national and state holiday? And why the city of Aurora is still working.

[00:33:57] And then, because their parks' troops outmoving the parks and the grass and stuff. And then I recanted that message with, well, I don't know if the entire city of Aurora is open. I do know that their parks were working.

[00:34:11] And the thing that bugged me for lack of a better word about that is that a lot of people don't consider Juntings day real holiday because it's a black holiday. It's a holiday that black people were finally set completely free.

[00:34:31] But thank you so very much, Juan. This is wonderful. The never-again podcast is presented by the Coalition Against Global Genocide and its mission to educate, motivate and empower individuals and communities to oppose genocide and crimes against humanity.