Ep. 20 - Juneteenth

Juneteenth (June 19th) is the oldest known celebration
commemorating the end of American enslavement dating back to
1865. However, though the Emancipation Proclamation may have been
the law of the land when signed, it took two years for news to
reach the entire country. This is just one example of public
policy or government apologies failing to be fulfilled by the
state. As we unpack Juneteenth and its importance in recognizing
the trials and tribulations of African ancestors and elders we
celebrate (even noting the TV show Atlanta's Juneteenth episode),
we cannot ignore the generations after enslavement that sustained
new ways of systematically and institutionally oppressing Black
people—sharecropping, black codes, Red Summer, Jim Crow, mass
racialized incarceration, police violence, etc.


With this paradox in mind, BrownTown examines other examples of
the United States government formally apologizing or granting
reparations to other wronged marginalized groups. What happened
to Black folks’ 40 acres and a mule? How was 2008’s House
Resolution 194 that apologized for slavery not public knowledge
complete with reparations and a sincere conversation confronting
America’s past? How does one recognize and commemorate
Juneteenth, yet hold our institutions accountable for a job not
done? Here’s BrownTown's take.


 


Mentioned in the episode: Trap House - Chicago uses streetwear,
art, and radical restorative justice to transform individuals,
communities, and society. T.R.A.P. = Truth Reaching All People.


EPISODE CORRECTION: HR194 was technically passed under
President Bush in July 2008, not Obama who took office the
following January 2009.


 


CREDITS: Intro music by Fiendsh with soundbite
from Chappelle's Show "Time Haters" skit. Outro song
Villuminati by J. Cole. Audio engineered by Genta
Tamashiro.


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