Juneteenth, or June 19, 2022, was marked with
fireworks and concerts, parades, and proclamations, a
big difference from Juneteenth a year ago when
President Biden signed the executive order making
Juneteenth a federal holiday just two days before its
actual occurrence. Last year's hastily implemented
plans were replaced by well-orchestrated programs this
year. Last year's celebration merited brief chats; this
year, there was a nationally televised concert. This year,
the media has gone to great lengths to explain
Juneteenth, perhaps doubling their coverage from a
year ago. Corporations and other organizations are
observing or commemorating Juneteenth. I was
surprised, for example, by receiving notices of
Juneteenth observations from not one but two of the
financial services organizations I deal with.
A white man at the airport wished me a "Happy
Juneteenth" and while I somewhat appreciated his
greeting, it didn't make me happy, mainly because I
don't think the word "Happy" should be applied to
Juneteenth. Big Dot of Happiness, a company out of
Wisconsin, has produced cringe-worthy "Happy
Juneteenth" greeting cards. An online search will yield
all kinds of products, many presumably not owned by
Black people, commercializing Juneteenth with t-shirts,
stickers, stationery, and more.
Commercialization is the way of predatory
capitalism, so I’m not surprised at those who hope to
extract surplus profits from the people who want to
observe the day when formerly enslaved people were
reminded that their enslavement was over. Many who
heard the announcement in Galveston back in 1865
were elated, some were angry at being exploited, and
some understood that the quality of their lives was not
to change immediately or soon. Jim Crow laws, peonage
and the sharecropping system, and economic lynching
emerged immediately after the passage of the 13th
Amendment. The holiday observation of Juneteenth is a
vital way to inject the issue of enslavement into the
popular lexicon, if only once a year. But the holiday
transcends symbolism only if coupled with decisive
action to combat contemporary economic exploitation
and virulent racism.
President Biden set the right tone when he issued a
proclamation a few days before Juneteenth. He
described the day as "a chance to celebrate human
freedom, reflect on the grievous and ongoing legacy of
slavery, and rededicate ourselves to rooting out the
systemic racism that continues to plague our society as we
strive to deliver the full promise of America to every
American. This Juneteenth, we are freshly reminded that
the poisonous ideology of racism has not yet been defeated
— it only hides." Now that the fireworks have faded, the
barbeque has been digested, and the red soda water has
been consumed, President Biden might do more to attack
the hidden, and not so hidden, ideology of racism.
Has his administration sufficiently tackled pay
disparities in federal employment? On Equal Pay Day
2022, the Biden-Harris Administration issued a forceful
pay equity statement. Yet, gaps remain, and many are the
result of the hidden racism that Biden referred to in his
Juneteenth statement. African Americans are more likely
than others to work for the federal government and
experience smaller pay gaps with the federal government
than in the private sector. At the same time, pay gaps
remain, and Black employees are more likely to be clerical
workers in the federal government than employed in the
Senior Executive Service (SES). Connecting the Juneteenth
proclamation to a strong statement about economic equity
in federal government employment would have been
impactful. There are still opportunities for this focus,
perhaps incorporating a statement about workers' rights
with a strong message about Black federal workers.
HR 40, the legislation to study reparations and offer
remedies for economic discrimination against Black
people, has enough votes to pass the House of
Representatives. Still, it cannot pass the Senate, given its
current composition. President Biden has been urged to,
through an executive order, establish an HR 40
Commission to examine the reparations issue thoroughly.
He could do this with the simple stroke of a pen, putting
action behind the
strong words he issued on Juneteenth. By
embracing reparations to remedy historic racial economic
exploitation, President puts teeth behind his lofty
sentiments about hidden racism.
The federal observation of Juneteenth is an important
step forward in our nation’s recognition of enslavement and
its foundational contribution to the wealth of this country.
Reparations are the necessary next step. We must move
from recognition to remedy.
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Dean
of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA.
Juliannemalveaux.com