Reflection
The Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln which became official on Jan. 1, 1863, was supposed to free the slaves. However, with the Civil War going on and the communication system of the time, people in Texas did not know that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. On June 19, 1865, the day when General Gordon Granger and the Union soldiers occupied Galveston, Texas, two and a half years later, the General announced that all slaves were now free. On that day, this freed 250,000 slaves in Texas. In December1865 slavery was abolished in this nation with the adoption of the 13th Amendment. On June 19,1866, freedmen in Texas celebrated the first of what became known as “Jubilee Day”. This holiday later became known as Juneteenth, a shortening of June 19.
Now, roughly 155 years later, In our current national climate, we are reflecting on the history we have as a country. We are discussing structural racism and modern-day slavery. We are professing again that all have equal rights, but, as many of us understand, those rights are not equal in terms of laws, policies and practice. We realize with regret that, even though historically we proclaimed freedom from slavery, there are many practices and ingrained biases in this country that still keep people of color from complete equality. Although we are making efforts to change that, the road ahead is far from smooth” as we work to reject a sinful past and ensure a future of peace, equality, human dignity and opportunity for all God’s people.”
Prayer
That all may be one.
Action
Examine your own perceptions and attitudes honestly. What is your reaction to the events and movements that have occurred over the past few years? How much do cultural biases and prejudices influence you? If necessary, where are you called to change? What steps will you take?
Suggested Reading
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Acts 10:34-35
But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
1 John 2:11
We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.
Pope Francis
As people of faith, we must mark this holiday by promoting the sacredness of justice and freedom. The right to live free, work free, to enjoy health and happiness, and live in a world without prejudice and bigotry is not only a noble goal of democracy: it is something we regard as holy.
Rt. Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano
Listen to that Spirit moving within you; listen to what your African-American brothers and sisters have to say; and let the Spirit working through them teach you, and then act.
James Martin, SJ
The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.
Ijeoma Oluo
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Nelson Mandela
As long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, the problem is not solved.
Oprah Winfrey
We all decry prejudice, yet are all prejudiced.
Herbert Spencer
At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being.
Friedrich Otto Hertz
No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise.
Marian Anderson
It’s important for us to also understand that the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed. It’s not meant to suggest that other lives don’t matter. It’s to suggest that other folks aren’t experiencing this particular vulnerability.
Barack Obama
In the presence of constant and painful reminders of the deep roots of racism in our country, we, the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph join with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in committing to the critical work of creating communion, examining the root causes of injustice and our own complicity, and purging ourselves, our communities, and our country of the sin of racism and its destructive effects.
Corporate Statement of U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph