Juneteenth is upon us!

When I mention Juneteenth, people tend to look at me like I have gone completely mad! This is declared a major holiday in Texas but I am not sure that it is major anywhere else other than Texas. It is and was a hit where I am originally from.
Juneteenth is actually on June 19th. On that date in 1865, the slaves in Galveston, TX were declared free. It marked the last of the slaves that knew they had been freed. It used to be a celebration every year after that with dancing and celebration but as you know the slaves that were freed died off and the holiday was forgotten. It was revised back in 1968 after a March in Washington D.C. It became an official state holiday in Texas on January 1,1980.
Now, why and when my small city of Milwaukee, WI celebrate is a mystery.
Well, it is a mystery because I haven't looked into the date. I can remember festivals, parades, vendors, gospel choirs and music. There was a miss Juneteenth pageant and I wanted to be one as a child. As I got older, it was still nice but less and less safe.
Once I moved to Chicago, I noticed no one in the west and south side made a big deal about Juneteenth. There were no parades. There were no Miss Juneteenth pageant. I did an article on it during medical school, opening many people's eyes.
Now that I am a mother of a multiethnic son, I have begun to read him stories of Juneteenth. I want him to know his people were oppressed and now we oppress ourselves with public media, drugs and much else. I want it to make him a better man when the time comes.
So, to the outsider what should Juneteenth mean to you? ANOTHER DRINKING HOLIDAY! We have St. Patrick's Day and they don't even celebrate that day in Ireland. We have Cinco de Mayo and it is only celebrated in Puebla, Mexico. Let's add another holiday to drink that is only truly celebrated in Texas. Just go into a bar and scream, "Happy Juneteenth!" And get plastered! It should follow suit. Have a great day.