Juneteenth, The 4th of July, and Pennsylvania’s own History of Ending slavery

Juneteenth and The 4th of July are not competitors

Elected officials, community leaders, youth and drum and marching bands take part in the second annual Juneteenth Parade, in Philadelphia, PA on June 22, 2019 in the week that Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates the announcement of abolition of slavery on June 19, 1865. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A black woman told me she stopped celebrating the 4th of July for two reasons. 1). She didn’t want her kids to pay tribute to white supremacy. 2). She didn’t want to participate in honoring enslavement and genocide.

Fair enough.

Then she said, black people in America have their own Independence Day to celebrate — Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865 the end of slavery was announced in Texas. Juneteenth commemorates that event. But, if one was to critique the black woman’s logic, one might mention the following.

First, referring to Juneteenth as an “Independence Day” is an unnecessary attempt to replace the 4th of July. The two events aren’t in competition. They’re not even similar. The abolishment of a particular practice within a nation’s borders is not the same as colonies declaring independence from their mother country and going to war to become autonomous. These events are completely different and their individual significance requires its own celebration, without one diminishing the other.

Second, celebrating the 4th of July doesn’t have to be equated with white supremacy, enslavement, or genocide. One could just pay tribute to the…