June 19, 1865

“Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments. They don’t ignore those moments of the past. They embrace them. Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we made. And in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger.”

-President Joe Biden- (June 17, 2021, signing the bill to make Juneteenth a national holiday)

I didn’t have to look far to find this fitting quote this morning. I clicked on today’s Google image and got this and much more in an article from “Oprah Daily.”

June 19, 1865 is when enslaved people near Galveston, Texas finally received word that they were free and the Civil War was over, well over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. I realized how limited my education was, even as a former high school social studies teacher and Social Science major in college, that I had never even heard of Juneteenth until 2020.

Nobody is asking anyone else to feel guilt and shame over past mistakes of previous generations. We are each being asked to do our part today, in furthering the healing of intergenerational injustice, pain, and trauma. And in strengthening our nation, the United States of America, which currently has some fractures eating away at that strength.

How does that look and sound for me today? Be kind. Don’t judge. Face fears (from which so much injustice and evil stems).

I am also reflecting on this quote and bringing it to a personal level. I have confronted mistakes I have made in my own life. Mistakes and shortcomings that sometimes mainly impacted me, but at other times also impacted those around me. There is more to face from my past, but less builds up when I face today with an open mind and heart. Forgiveness and healing go hand-in-hand.

Be kind. Don’t judge. Face fears. It’s a good start, personally and in our wider communities and nation.