A Juneteenth tale

Updated and reposted from last year.

I watched as the service manager pulled up a calendar on his computer yesterday to schedule a service appointment for me. He noted that tomorrow (today) was June 19th, and wistfully added, That’s my father’s birthday, but he’s gone now. He moved on.

It was touching and I didn’t want to spoil the moment by saying, Your dad didn’t move on, he’s right where you left him.

Then he noted that the calendar showed something called Juneteenth and he didn’t know what it meant. Before I could tell him, the guy next to him chimed in, It’s just Black people shit.

Attempting a smile, I turned to the guy and explained that it was about the end of slavery in America, to which he replied, It’s not like they don’t have Black History Month.

A history, by the way, that can no longer be taught in Florida or many other American states.

Most likely, that guy would say that he’s not a racist, just like Donnie likes to say that he’s the least racist guy in the room, as if that’s a good thing.

And possibly only true at KKK meetings.

It’s that quiet voice in the back of their minds that sharpens their hearing to the sound of the dog whistles of hate. They may not even realize it, it’s so deeply ingrained that they take it for granted.

That voice is just one of the things that give them comfort at Trump rallies. He says the quiet things out loud, like so many racists before him.

Trump gives them permission to be their worst possible selves in a safe space, where threats of violence magically lead to acts of violence.

To the approbation of racists everywhere, the Trump administration has scaled back federal funding for Juneteenth celebrations.

Additionally, the National Park Service was ordered to remove Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr Day from their list of fee-free days, those special remembrances where Americans don’t have to pay to enter national parks.

It has yet to be determined if Charlie Kirk Day will be fee-free at Yellowstone National Park.

To read about the meaning of Juneteenth, click HERE.