Over 159 years ago, on January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln published the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that all slaves in the United States would be "forever free.” Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the people of Galveston, TX, freeing
slaves in the last rebel state. Although President Lincoln had made the declaration, it wasn’t enforced in Galveston until federal soldiers read it out on June 19, 1865.
Juneteenth is the day the last slaves were able to recognize their freedom for the first time.
Reflecting on this day, I was not sure whether today was a day we should celebrate or if it should be a day of mourning, recognizing that there were people who were enslaved for two and a half years after the President declared them free. Regardless, I am grateful we can acknowledge the history of our nation, and my hope is that we can continue to learn and grow from the inhumane choices of the past.
My learning points focus on the fact that slavery ended two generations ago, and America has progressed. First, this is a precious time to reflect on the values for which Dr. Martin Luther King and so many others passionately fought. He fought for civil rights, and he fought to end racism in America. He saw that people continued to be judged by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. The racial divide was a consistent reality, and I am pleased people were committed not to stand idly by after evaluating the status quo.
My second learning point is that I am accountable to ensure I do not stand idly by in today’s America. I am the sixth child of an African-American father and a half African-American/half Filipina. I think about my father’s father, and how he was able to earn the rank of Chief Master Sergeant in the US Air Force. I think about my father, and how he earned the rank of Senior Master Sergeant in the US Air Force. I entered the Air Force as a cadet at the USAF Academy and currently serve as a Lt Col in the Indiana Air National Guard. I was privileged to serve as the first African American / Filipina Commander in my entire unit’s history. These accomplishments were not in a vacuum, and I am reminded how important it is not to limit progress to our own individual environments. My good friend, Chris Campbell, once said, “There’s no point in blazing a trail if the trail doesn’t become a road.”
My ancestors were enslaved. Juneteenth celebrates the day that the freedom of all slaves was recognized. African-American social progress was led by many committed people focused on not allowing slavery to be a continued crippling force. We are not where we ought to be, but thank God, we are not where we used to be. I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams, and I am committed to serving others to ensure I own the responsibility to pave the road to progress.
I’m thinking about the fact that for decades the elite of the Democratic party has aimed to convince people who look like me in northwest Indiana and across America, that they can't be conservative. They say they can't be pro-God and pro-family. They say we can't value hard work, can't be tough on crime, and can't support fiscal responsibility. They have put us in a box that has been nearly impossible to escape. They insist that we have to act and think the way they tell us. Well, they're wrong. It's time we think outside the box. This is your opportunity to rethink norms and blaze a trail for the next generation.
My name is Jennifer-Ruth Green. I'm a conservative African-American woman, and I'm running for Congress in Indiana's first district. I am running to represent you and to be your voice. Let's stop repeating the past and start creating a new future of equal opportunity for all.
