Isn't it interesting how the people that oppose Juneteenth as an official holiday are also the same people that say we shouldn't do away with Columbus Day, lest we forget history?... Weird.
Yeah, the fact that institutions and businesses that should know better are starting to bow to pressure in response to downright bigoted rhetoric from an increasingly vocal bunch of right-wing reactionaries is disheartening.
I'm a British ex-pat. Am I supposed to be offended that the federal government turned July 4th into a public holiday because it promotes "British guilt?"
The "promotes white guilt" claims are just an excuse for being racist. Period.
I agree with Tacitus, pushback to this holiday is poorly disguised racism and I use that term sparingly most of the time. Some people just go to pieces when this country's past sins concerning slavery are brought up. I can understand it being unpleasant to review but to want to delete it from history demonstrates the same lack of moral compass that led to the practice in the first place.
Look, our forefathers did some great things, and some horrible things. We can't just celebrate the noble things and ignore the rest. Juneteenth celebrates a noble act, the granting of freedom to those we previously oppressed, while necessarily reminding us that we were the oppressors. I take pride in the great things my country has done, but I also mourn the tragic things. To do anything else is just cowardly.
Thank you for sharing this. I was unaware of what your former employer and other “Christian” colleges and universities are doing to faculty that have the courage to teach about the injustices committed by Christians and Churches regarding slavery, Jim Crow, and opposition to civil rights. I was unaware but not surprised. I guess that none of them will be using my book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond” (Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, Oct. 2022) as a textbook.
All the best and keep up your great work. I have admired you for years.
Sincerely,
Fr. Steve Dundas, CDR, Chaplain Corps, US Navy (Retired)
My academic department shared a suggestion that a good way to commemorate Juneteenth, should one be able to do so, is to donate money to an organization aiding Black people. (You can tell I don't work at Grove....)
Isn't it interesting how the people that oppose Juneteenth as an official holiday are also the same people that say we shouldn't do away with Columbus Day, lest we forget history?... Weird.
Yeah, the fact that institutions and businesses that should know better are starting to bow to pressure in response to downright bigoted rhetoric from an increasingly vocal bunch of right-wing reactionaries is disheartening.
I'm a British ex-pat. Am I supposed to be offended that the federal government turned July 4th into a public holiday because it promotes "British guilt?"
The "promotes white guilt" claims are just an excuse for being racist. Period.
Oh, and Happy Juneteenth, everyone!
I agree with Tacitus, pushback to this holiday is poorly disguised racism and I use that term sparingly most of the time. Some people just go to pieces when this country's past sins concerning slavery are brought up. I can understand it being unpleasant to review but to want to delete it from history demonstrates the same lack of moral compass that led to the practice in the first place.
Look, our forefathers did some great things, and some horrible things. We can't just celebrate the noble things and ignore the rest. Juneteenth celebrates a noble act, the granting of freedom to those we previously oppressed, while necessarily reminding us that we were the oppressors. I take pride in the great things my country has done, but I also mourn the tragic things. To do anything else is just cowardly.
Professor Throckmorton,
Thank you for sharing this. I was unaware of what your former employer and other “Christian” colleges and universities are doing to faculty that have the courage to teach about the injustices committed by Christians and Churches regarding slavery, Jim Crow, and opposition to civil rights. I was unaware but not surprised. I guess that none of them will be using my book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond” (Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, Oct. 2022) as a textbook.
All the best and keep up your great work. I have admired you for years.
Sincerely,
Fr. Steve Dundas, CDR, Chaplain Corps, US Navy (Retired)
My academic department shared a suggestion that a good way to commemorate Juneteenth, should one be able to do so, is to donate money to an organization aiding Black people. (You can tell I don't work at Grove....)