If You Preach Justice, You Should Observe Juneteenth

Even though Juneteenth is now a national holiday, I wonder how deeply its meaning has truly seeped into our civic consciousness, particularly at a time in which the uglier parts of our nation’s history are being whitewashed and censored. Anniversaries of accomplishments in the long freedom struggle offer a critical opportunity to push back against those efforts and tell the unvarnished truth about American history — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Amid today’s retrenchment and backsliding on racial justice, our nation needs the lessons of Juneteenth more than ever.