The town where I live is about 85% white and only 2% Black. Most of the non-white people are Hispanic or Asian. Like other American towns and cities, the percentage of whites has been dropping, but in my town, it is still well above the national figure of 58% whites.
Here is a news flash: by 2045, white people will be in the minority in the United States. Sadly, this reality is lost on white people, especially in my state of Iowa, who believe they will always be in the majority. Demographics are telling another tale.
People in rural Iowa are oblivious to the demographic changes because of the history of “whiteness” within the state. It has been designed that way.
For a good read on how Iowa remained so overwhelmingly white by design, read Chris Jones’ substack column “Swine Republic.” He published an article just today called, White, By Design. This will give you a good historical background on how and why Iowa remains so white.
Also good reading is Bob Leonard’s substack column called “Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture.” Last week, Bob published an article entitled, Biden Administration Tries to Address Generations of USDA Racism against Black Farmers and Others. Excellent post that explains why so few Black people are farmers in Iowa.
I highly recommend both of these substack newsletters.
My aim today is to foster a deeper understanding among Iowans and white individuals in general about the profound historical significance of Juneteenth. This significant holiday, which falls on Wednesday, June 19th this week, marks the day when the last known enslaved people learned of their freedom two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the end of the Civil War.
It's crucial to grasp this day's immense impact on Black people's lives. By the 19th of June 1865, approximately 4 million enslaved individuals were finally freed. To put this into perspective, this is twice the number of people who gained independence from Great Britain's monarchy on July 4, 1776. For Black people, June 19th holds an even greater significance than July 4.
Most white people shrug Juneteenth off as “that Black holiday” and think nothing of its meaning. This is a mistake. White people are deeply impacted by this holiday and the event it commemorates.
Here are seven reasons why white Americans need to recognize and celebrate Juneteenth.
Freedom Is Universal
First, remember that freedom is a value that unites all Americans, regardless of our differences. If one group’s freedom is diminished or threatened, then everyone’s freedom has the potential to be curtailed. Just ask 165 million women who have recently lost the basic freedom to their own healthcare and reproductive rights.
Our freedoms are only as secure as the least secure group, which means our freedoms are all connected. Celebrating Juneteenth provides a platform to show us that freedom is universal and meant for everyone. It doesn’t replace July 4th but completes July 4th by including everyone in the celebration.
I believe it is better to begin to think about the period of June 19 through July 4 as a “season of freedom” remembrance. Tying the two holidays together in a celebration of freedom for all human beings gives greater meaning and significance to both holidays.
Redefine Who Are “Real” Americans
Second, consider the transformative power of celebrating freedom on Juneteenth. By doing so, we can fundamentally alter the definition of who a “real” American is. Historically, being an American always meant being white; therefore, only the July 4th holiday was important. But we can and should change that definition by recognizing and celebrating Juneteenth with our Black fellow citizens. This is a powerful step towards a more inclusive understanding of society; it is high time we took it.
Build A Multiracial Society
Third, celebrating Juneteenth by attending the various local events allows white people to enter the joy and jubilee that Black people experience through their rituals, culture, food, and values. This is a process of undoing the white supremacist mentality that all white people have been birthed with and begins to build empathy and compassion for the Black experience in America. Encountering the Black community firsthand and face-to-face can give white people grounding in the concept of a multiracial society, shared freedom, and common visions for the future.
Freedom Is An Unfinished Story
Fourth, by participating in Juneteenth events, white people can come to understand that the struggle for freedom, equal treatment, and dignity is not a finished story. Juneteenth is a celebration, but when you begin to celebrate this holiday with Black people, you also hear the stories of ongoing discrimination, marginalization, disparities in health and wealth, and microaggressions that they deal with daily.
White Americans need to understand that freedom is an ongoing project, and we still haven’t arrived at a completely equal society. In this sense, Juneteenth reminds us that it isn’t just a past event we celebrate but an ongoing process of maintenance and work to continue the expansion of freedom into every crevice where it still is absent.
Become Better Human Beings
Fifth, white Americans can also learn by celebrating Juneteenth just how distorted and inhumane enslavement was and how it distorted white American enslavers. The act of ending the institution of slavery in an ironic twist of fate also freed white Americans from the soul-crushing burden and moral depravity of being enslavers. This is not a typical objective for the Juneteenth holiday because it re-centers the white experience, but it is still an important lesson for white people.
What becomes transparent is that the same distorted thinking that justified enslaving other human beings is still resident in the minds and hearts of white people even after emancipation. White supremacy survived the Civil War and adjusted and reappeared time after time, inaugurating the Jim Crow society, and is still with us in other forms of systemic racism, which are not hard to see but easy to deny.
Juneteenth confronts white Americans with this internal whiteness script and holds up a mirror for us to see it. Another way to say this is by celebrating Juneteenth, we become better human beings.
Be a Good Ally & Antiracist
Sixth, if you are on a journey to become an antiracist and are trying to be a good ally, celebrating Juneteenth is essential to show your solidarity. Black Americans are used to having white people not show up and be supportive, except when there is an event that creates outrage, like the George Floyd murder on video. White people show up for the march, the photo op, and a few protests, but once the outrage dies down, white people melt away back into the comfort of their whiteness. Showing up for Juneteenth goes beyond outrage politics. It shows solidarity with Black Americans in celebrating a holiday central to their existence in this country.
Understand Fully What July 4 Means
Seven, the ability of white people to celebrate Juneteenth is an indicator that they have truly come to understand and grasp the true meaning of July 4. In other words, if you, as a white person, cannot genuinely celebrate the freedom of 4 million people from the bondage of enslavement, then you are ignorant of what July 4th stands for: the equality and freedom of all people.
It might be important to remember that the freedom that July 4th in 1776 brought forth only applied to white men. White women, Black men and women, Indigenous tribes, and other non-white groups were not afforded the recognition and dignity Jefferson wrote about in the Declaration of Independence. When Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal,” he truly meant men, particularly white men.
Celebrating Juneteenth corrects the omissions of 1776. Juneteenth represents honoring the extension of the hope and promise that the Declaration of Independence held out to so few in 1776 but, in 1865, extended to 4 million more souls.
Don’t Misappropriate the Holiday
I hope white citizens will celebrate Juneteenth this year. But as you do, there is a major caution to consider. The white supremacist script in your head tells you to appropriate this holiday and “whiten” it…in other words, white people run the risk of exploiting the holiday by centering their own story, culture, values, and rituals. Plus, our capitalistic system loves to commodify anything that is popular. (Consider the commodification of July 4 and Christmas).
Jemar Tisby, a bestselling author, national speaker, and public historian, had this word of warning about Juneteenth:
“But Juneteenth becoming a national holiday wasn’t an unadulterated triumph, Black people know how cultural phenomena that originate with us can be co-opted when adopted by other groups. The use and misuse of the word “woke” comes to mind as an example. There is always the looming threat of whitewashing Juneteenth history—sanitizing the past to make it more palatable to fragile egos in the present. But the certain misappropriation of Juneteenth does not have to be all bad. It can also be an occasion for education.”
Tisby makes great sense. As a white man on an organizing committee for the Juneteenth Celebration in my community, I am constantly aware of my own views and values that can seep into the planning, and I worry about whitewashing the celebration. I make mistakes, but I want to learn from them and continue to try to help my fellow residents become aware of this great holiday. It is worth the effort.
As we move into the mid-21st century, non-white people will increasingly become the majority, and in some localities, they already are. White Americans need to expunge the concept of “whiteness” from their thinking, do away with the whitewashing of history, and make room for the lives, legacies, histories, and holidays of other groups of people. It will make us not only a better nation but also better human beings.
Another great column.