Juneteenth: Civil Rights Leader Rev. Peter Johnson on the Holiday’s Significance

I will be the first to admit that over the years I've enjoyed some really great BBQ and other foods on Juneteenth. But, I must also share that I struggle with the holiday because of the 'Great Deception' those enslaved in Texas endured for several years. 

Let me explain. I arrived in Dallas, Texas in 1969. I was asked by Tony Davis, the founder of the Dallas Weekly, and Ms. Juanita Craft to have a table at a Juneteenth event and to share the history and accomplishments of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I was honored, but I still didn't know what the heck Juneteenth was about. I grew up in Louisiana and never heard about Juneteenth. I begin to research and was sickened at what I found. 

In 1863, Texas politicians and large landowners knew about the Emancipation Proclamation but kept it secret from the slaves. They had already planted the cotton harvest and many landowners already had their harvest sold to oversea markets. So, they decided to keep this secret from the slaves. It worked. They decided to do the same thing in 1864 because another crop had been planted and they needed it to be harvested by the slaves. 

The federal government caught wind of this and sent a U.S. General to Texas to enforce the new law that slaves were free. The problem? He came by ship. The ship had to come through the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and up the canal leading to Galveston. You guessed it. Almost another year went by before that general made it to Texas to announce that slaves were free. 

Those enslaved during that time worked an extra two years as “freed men and women.” The deception was real! I have made it one of my life's goals to locate descendants of some of the slaves and sue the State of Texas for unpaid wages for what our foreparents endured during the “Great Deception.” 

I'm not sure I'll enjoy the food and festivities this year. My stomach is hurting from writing this and remembering what our people endured. Well, I may be sick, but I'm also pissed...

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