SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY AND AMERICAN TRADITIONAL CELEBRATIONS: Why ALL Americans should Celebrate Juneteenth
Next Thursday, June 25th, at the MJJA-REI Lunchtime Learning, I will present the history of Juneteenth in America. One of my presentation goals is to connect this history with social responsibility as a demonstration of respect and understanding. In brief - Juneteenth is a 160-year-old holiday celebrating the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in the United States. It does not honor the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, or the end of the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation came into effect on January 1, 1863, declaring all enslaved peoples in the Confederacy free if the Union won the war. With this single document (barely 700 words in length), the legal status of 4 million slaves in the Confederacy was changed. Conditions in the South did not change and many slave owners, obviously, withheld this information. Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Texas remained a stronghold in the South even after the final battle of the war, and some 250,000 enslaved African American were not made aware of their freedom. Instead, Texas’ enslaved learned of their freedom two and a half years later when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 and announced that President Abraham Lincoln had issued a proclamation freeing them. There remain varying accounts of why the news of freedom did not reach Texas sooner. It is also important to note that Texas remained a Confederate state until 1865, when Robert E. Lee finally surrendered to the Union Army, so they would not have enforced Lincoln’s proclamation.
Thus, the connection: Social Responsibility (SR) is defined as the moral framework where individuals and organizations strive to act for the greater good, avoiding harm to society and the environment. According to Human Rights Careers, social responsibility “involves a balance between economic development and the welfare of society, ensuring that practices benefit both the community and the ecosystem.” Most importantly, social responsibility emphasizes accountability for actions that impact society.
Interestingly, engaging in national celebrations is somewhat of an American social responsibility. However, in the midst of the upcoming Juneteenth National Holiday surrounded by recent anti-democratic, politically-violent, cultural war-mongering activities, one must ask whether Americans still share in the traditions of its own heritage.
Even though few conversations point to the task or expectation of social responsibility on the part of individual Americans, the current climate begs all Americans to become more socially- responsible by ‘acting in ways that benefit the good of society.’ In other words, regardless of social, political, racial, socio-economic, and/or religious differences, we should all assume responsibility toward humankind, give appropriate respect where due, and demonstrate common citizen politeness. Even though one might argue that what a person believes most benefits society can be problematic, adding individual responsibility to each other/for each other, becomes a welcoming concept to many of us.
When Americans unite in celebrating national holidays, cultural celebrations, and other social events, it can serve as a much-needed cathartic experience. Celebrating national holidays helps us to unite in the common cause of respecting and appreciating our joint heritage.