Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free! While over forty states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, many think it should be a national holiday. Read more about why we should consider this.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free! Take some time this weekend to learn more about this special holiday.
- Juneteenth – A Valuable Story of Freedom by Pastor Harvey Drake
- Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper: a YouTube read-aloud for kids
- Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom from Slavery in US: a short video on the history of Juneteenth
Our website has, among our resources, links to a report that looks at the violent history of lynching in America. One of the results of this era of racial terrorism was the Great Migration. Between 1910 and 1970, six million black Americans fled the South to escape lynching, unfair labor practices, and harsh segregationist laws. This summer, we invite you to join us in learning about this era by reading Isabel Wilkerson's award-winning history, The Warmth of Other Suns. Mark your calendar for a book discussion on the evening of Sunday, September 20.
In this post, we have a guest blogger, McAlister Merchant. McAlister was the first African-American student to graduate from an all-white Catholic boys high school in Chicago. He started there in 1957 on a scholarship, well before Martin Luther King Jr's efforts came to prominence. McAlister was at the pushing, shoving, bleeding edge of integration, but overcame his situation peaceably, successfully, and with grace.
The recent murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, brings to mind the ugly history of lynching in America. Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), defines lynching as "a racially motivated act of violence committed by two or more people where there is no accountability." Lynchings were brutal acts of torture, often in public, designed to terrorize black people. State and federal officials generally looked the other way. EJI has documented more than 4400 lynchings of black people in the United States between 1877 and 1950.
Our March book Race and Place may have sparked your interest in urban geography. Dive in more deeply with these great resources:
- Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America. Explore more than 150 redlining maps, including Seattle.
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining - The Statistic Atlas: A treasure trove of demographical statistics. You can look at any area in the United States and even drill down as far as your state legislative district.
https://statisticalatlas.com/United-States/Overview
When we hear the name Malcolm X, a variety of adjectives comes to mind: black nationalist, Muslim, radical, civil rights leader, and for others, racist.
Few people who have an opinion on Malcolm X actually know that who he was in the beginning of his career, was dramatically different by his tragic end. His story is that of transformation. Malcolm, at his end, left the Nation of Islam and became a Sunni Muslim and was very publicly for the brotherhood of all people as God's creation.
Looking for ways to commemorate MLK Day? Here are some ideas:
- Participate in a tree planting at Eastgate Park. The tree-planting will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the park, 14509 SE Newport Way. Gloves, tools, hot drinks, water and snacks will be provided. To sign up, go to EarthCorps.org and click on "Volunteer Calendar."
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