Today is Juneteenth

"Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are.  It's a celebration of progress.  It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible — and there is still so much work to do."

— tweeted by Barack Obama

  on June 19, 2020

The Ten Juneteenth Commandments

(Read "Make Juneteenth Great Again: The Caucasians' Guide to Celebrating Juneteenth" to fully understand these "commandments" for Caucasians.)

1. Thou shalt not have any holidays before Juneteenth.
2. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
3. Thou shalt not whitesplain.
4. Thou shalt not take the Juneteenth’s name in vain.
5. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s anything.
6. Remember Juneteenth and keep it holy.
7. Lean not into thine own understanding.
8. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Blackness.
9. Thou shalt not steal.
10. Thou shalt purchase gifts for thy Black neighbors.  (Just kidding. I know you don’t have any.)

Oh, yes, I do!  I have wonderful Black neighbors here at the Crown Center.  The main reason to ponder this list (and the article it was in) is to consider life from a point of view many have never considered.