Here is a heartwarming photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken moments after he personally freed the last of the southern slaves on the first Juneteenth, 1865. According to the history textbooks I studied throughout my public school education, the American Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, and over 600,000 White men from the Union states valiantly gave their lives to end the practice of slavery in America. Meanwhile, the West Africans, who sold their fellow Blacks into slavery, would continue practicing slavery until White Europeans forced them to stop in the 20th Century.

Here in America, millions of Blacks, eternally grateful for the ultimate sacrifice that so many White men made on their behalf, show their appreciation for Whites and for White culture every Juneteenth, by eating Shepherd's Pies and Käsespätzle and other traditional European casseroles (and by resisting the temptation to spice up these dishes with hot sauce), by dancing to bluegrass music and Polka and other European folk music, and by engaging in other stereotypically “White” activities like changing smoke detector batteries, returning their shopping carts to the stalls rather than leaving them in the middle of the parking lot, and watching a movie in a cinema without attempting to communicate with the characters on the screen.

Every Juneteenth, I am blown away by the efforts Black Americans make to promote racial harmony and mutual understanding, in recognition of the incalculable debt they owe to the 600,000+ White men who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom.

#Juneteenth #HappyJuneteenth #ThankAWhiteManForEndingSlavery