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Juneteenth – From Disdain to Pride

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Women Having CoffeeToday marks the 148th anniversary of the date when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger stood in Galveston, Texas and announced to the Texas slaves that they were free.

For me, today marks the first time I, a native Texan and Houstonian, formally celebrated this holiday. In the past, I held a disdain for the celebrations on this date because I could not understand why we would celebrate a day when our African-American ancestors were “given” something that never should have been denied them – freedom.

I now know that I was totally misguided because I had not sought information beyond what I was taught in Texas public school. Last year, I discovered the truth when I visited the African American Civil War Memorial (http://www.afroamcivilwar.org) in Washington, D.C. and read specific information in the Emancipation Proclamation. It clearly stated there that the Proclamation provided freedom to the slaves in the seceding states once those states were conquered and had surrendered to the Union. For that reason, 200,000 African-American men, runaway slaves and free men, rose up and joined the Union to ensure they won the Civil War so their enslaved brothers and sisters could be freed. In essence, African-American men fought and won the freedom – it was not “given” to our ancestors.

Even though General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, the last battle of the Civil War – Battle of Palmito Ranch – was fought in Texas on May 12 and 13, 1865. At this point, Texas was conquered and the state was occupied by the African-American Union troops that helped defeat it. The Texas slaves discovered their freedom one month later. The conditions of the Emancipation Proclamation had been satisfied and freedom had been won.

It was an enlightening and proud moment for me to learn these facts which had never been mentioned in school

So, to celebrate today, I visited The African-American Library at the Gregory School (http://thegregoryschool.org) which is a part of the Houston Public Library system and one of our premier research libraries here in Houston. This library hosts an exhibit of life after slavery for Texas ex-slaves.

It was amazing to learn that within six months of obtaining freedom, 1,000 ex-slaves traveled to Houston, Texas and bought land in 1865 – to form the now historic Freedmen’s Town.
By 1870, they had opened their first school – The Gregory Institute.  In 1876, that school became the first public school for African-American children and a part of the Houston Independent school district. The school is now a State Archaeological Landmark and stands proudly for a people who rose up through unimaginable adversity to aspire for education and a path to the American dream.

The exhibit shares information on many of the African-American “firsts” in Houston and their contribution to the African-American community and the Houston community as a whole. If you have an opportunity to visit, you will be inspired.

So, today was a good day for me. Through my quest to always seek knowledge, I have moved from disdain to pride in this date and its significance to my people, my state, and my country.

Happy Juneteenth!

QUESTION(S):

What are your thoughts about the Juneteenth holiday?

Do you celebrate it?   If so, please share how you celebrate.

It’s Rodeo Time! Yee-Hah!

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If you are anywhere near Houston, Texas you will know that the cowboys and cowgirls have blazed in from their trail ride and it is RODEO time!   There will be three weeks of rodeo contests, world-class concerts, barbecue cook offs and rides on a Texas-sized Ferris wheel at the Rodeo Carnival.  For eighty years, we Houstonians have enjoyed what has become one of the largest rodeos in the world – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Visit http://www.hlsr.com and check it out.

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Another important rodeo venue during the same period is the Black Professional Cowboys and Cowgirls Association’s Heritage Day Rodeo which benefits high school students with scholarships to attend a four-year accredited college.    The BPCCA strive to present and preserve the image of the African-American cowboy and cowgirl who participated fully in settling the American West.   Please visit  http://www.bpcca.com to learn more about this organization.

Due to media depiction and partial teaching of American history in our schools, it is a little known fact that one-third of the American cowboys were African-American, one-third were Latin-American and one-third were Anglo-American.   However, on the trail they were all the same as they worked together to face life and death perils to drive the cattle across the West to market.   It was one of the first places in our history were racial barriers were willingly torn down.

This year was the first time that I attended the BPCCA rodeo even though this is their 14th year for this annual event.  It was really inspiring to see so many African-American families there to support the rodeo.   There were the familiar contests – steer wrestling, bull-riding, barrel racing – but there was one event that required unique bravery from the cowgirls.   This event is unique to African-American rodeos and is called “Steer Un-decorating”.   The cowgirls ride and chase a steer to remove the ribbon tied around it.   Watching those cowgirls made me feel very inadequate as a native Texan because I don’t even own a pair of cowgirl boots!

Even though the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offers a “Black Heritage Day” as a part of their venue, I hope that more persons discover the Black Professional Cowboys and Cowgirls Association’s Heritage Day Rodeo and will consider attending next year during our rodeo season.   It is a great event.

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