AWAY. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS. >> EAT.
>> IT IS NOT A NEW HOLIDAY,
BUT IT’S BEEN CALLED A LOT OF
DIFFERENT THINGS. JUBILEE DAY,
FREEDOM DAY IN ANOTHER
INDEPENDENCE DAY. THE SECOND
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
COMMONLY IT IS CALLED JUNE
TEEN. BUT THAT’S WHAT WE’RE
GOING TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
AND WE’RE PLEASED TO HAVE
TRINITY PROFESSOR, CUMBERLAND
MONFORT WITH US. PROFESSOR,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING
THE TIME OUT OF YOUR HOLIDAY TO
BE WITH US TODAY. I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT
JUNETEENTH RIGHT OFF THE TOP.
DO YOU SEE THIS AS A
CELEBRATION OR A COMMEMORATION?
OR BOTH?
>> YEAH, ACTUALLY, BOTH I SEE
THIS. I THINK THAT THAT THAT
THE HOLIDAY ITSELF IS A
COMMEMORATION OF OF AN
INTENSELY POWERFUL EXPERIENCE
BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND
COMMUNALLY FOR FOR FREED
SLAVES, BUT ALSO THAT IT
>> THAT THE THAT THE WAY WE
EXPRESS IT NOW IT’S A
CELEBRATION OF THAT
COMMEMORATION AND CELEBRATION
OF THAT INTENSELY POWERFUL
EXPERIENCE FOR THESE PEOPLE
THE WAY WE CAN ONLY WAY WE CAN
TODAY.
>> AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF THIS DAY? I MEAN, IT
IS SOMETHING THAT NOW, YOU
KNOW, IS ON THE FEDERAL
CALENDAR AS A FEDERALLY
RECOGNIZED HOLIDAY. BUT A LOT
OF PEOPLE STILL UNFAMILIAR WITH
WHAT WE ARE COMMEMORATING
TODAY.
>> YEAH, IT’S SO AMAZING
BECAUSE WE’RE IN TEXAS, RIGHT?
AND IN JUNE TEEN IS ACTUALLY A
STILL A COMMEMORATION OF THE
ENSLAVED PEOPLES OF TEXAS,
ACTUALLY LEARNING THAT THEY HAD
BEEN FOR THE EATING AND
LEARNING THIS WAY AFTER MOST OF
THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
AND SO WE’RE TALKING IT’S HARD
FOR US TO IMAGINE BECAUSE WE’RE
GENERALLY FREE HERE, RIGHT?
BUT AND MAJ A PERIOD OF
OPPRESSION AND YOU’RE SUDDENLY
FREED FROM IT. AND THE IT IN
THE BLACK COMMUNITY, THE SELLER
PATIENTS OF JUNE, I THINK BEGIN
WITH IN ONE OR 2 YEARS AFTER
AFTER IT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WENT TO
GALVESTON WHERE THAT FREEDOM
WAS THAT THE MENTAL PATIENT
POPULATION WAS DECLARED AND
IT THE BIG MAKE PILGRIMAGES
THEY WOULD SAY THEY WOULD
SOMETIMES WALKING THERE.
THERE WOULD BE PRAYERS. THERE
WOULD BE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
ACTS. EXPRESSIONS OF THEIR
THEIR DEEP GRATITUDE AND THEIR
DEEP SENSE OF OF FREEDOM.
AND WE SEE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT THEY REALLY STARTED VERY
SOON AFTER THAT PERIOD. ARE YOU
SEEING JUNETEENTH EVOLVE IN
SAN ANTONIO EVOLVE IN SOUTH
TEXAS.
>> I THINK WE’RE BREAKING UP
JUST A LITTLE BIT. BUT I THINK
IF I HEARD YOU’RE QUESTION
PROPERLY. SO SO A COUPLE OF
THINGS ABOUT CHANGE IS ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT WE SEE THAT.
YES, IT’S A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
AND THAT’S GIVING PEOPLE THE
FREEDOM TO CELEBRATE THE WAY
THEY WISH TO.
BUT IT’S ALSO OF BUT IT’S ALSO
A VERY FAMILY ORIENTED COMMUNAL
COMMUNITY ORIENTED. WE OFTEN
SEE PRAYER BREAKFAST. I’M A
PRAYER. THIS IS IN CHURCHES,
PRAYER BREAKFAST AS WELL.
IN SOME PLACES FAMILY GET
TOGETHER SO THAT THEY COULD
CELEBRATE FAMILY, WHICH IS
SOMETHING THAT YOU COULDN’T
CELEBRATE DURING THE SLAVE
PERIOD, BUT ALSO LOCAL
CELEBRATIONS. AND I THINK
THAT’S THE HEART OF JUNE TEEN
IS THAT LOCAL ASPECT THE THE
THE FIT?
EMILY HAS OF ACTUALLY SITTING
AND THINKING ABOUT AND
REFLECTING UPON AND CELEBRATING
THIS REMARKABLE, POWERFUL,
INTENSE EXPERIENCE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TOO,
ABOUT WITH SOMETHING WE TOUCHED
ON A LITTLE BIT HERE. IT’S NOT
A NEW HOLIDAY, BUT I’VE HEARD
THAT SO OFTEN OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS. IT’S A NEW
HOLIDAY. IT’S A NEW HOLIDAY
ON THE CALENDAR.
>> FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
BUT HOW HAS JUNETEENTH BEEN
COMMEMORATED FOR 4 DECADES IN
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND BLACK
COMMUNITY.
>> SO SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS
OF, FOR EXAMPLE, AMONG ON A
NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN OUR AGAIN,
THERE’S A BLACK RODEO THAT
ALWAYS TAKES PLACE ON JUNE
TEETH. REDDICK, THEIR THEIR
NUMBER. THE HUGE CELEBRATIONS
IN GALVESTON BECAUSE THAT WAS
THE SEAT OF THAT. THE
KNOWLEDGE, NONE OF THE
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.
THERE IS A I MENTIONED BEFORE
THEY’RE ON RELIGIOUS SERVICES.
THEIR FAMILY GET TOGETHER,
COOKOUTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT WE ALSO SEE, I THINK AND
THIS IS RELATIVELY NEW BECAUSE
SO MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE MAY
REALLY GET HAVE A SENSE OF AN
A DEEP SENSE OF THIS OF
EDUCATION, THE STARTING TO SEE
A LITTLE BIT MORE EDUCATION.
BOTH WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
AND SO THE BEAUTY OF IT
BECOMING A NATIONAL HOLIDAY IS
ALL OF A SUDDEN WE WE’RE
RECOGNIZING THE FACT THAT THERE
NEEDS TO BE SOME SORT OF
EDUCATION AROUND IS ABSOLUTELY
100%. AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF
I DIDN’T MENTION THAT.
>> ONE OF THE FIRST
CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH MY
FRIEND,
THE LATE DOCTOR, CAREY
LATIMORE, WHO’S ONE OF YOUR
COLLEAGUES ARE WAS ONE OF YOUR
TRINITY WAS ABOUT JUNETEENTH
AND HE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THIS
WAS A CELEBRATION THAT MAY HAVE
STARTED WITH THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, BUT
HE THINKS IT SHOULD BE A
MESSAGE THAT SPREADS BEYOND
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> I TOTALLY I TOTALLY AGREE.
AND I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE
THE ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE THAT
THE INCREDIBLE IMPACT OF THIS
BEING A NATIONAL HOLIDAY IS ALL
OF A SUDDEN PEOPLE ARE SAYING.
THAT QUESTION THING THAT CAUSES
PEOPLE TO DELVE DEEPLY INTO
WHATEVER THEIR EXPERIENCE MAY
BE. AND HOWEVER, THEY MAY FEEL,
BUT THEY’RE LEARNING MORE.
AND WHEN YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE HOW A DAY YOU LEARN ABOUT.
MORE ABOUT SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT POST THE
POST SLAVERY EXPERIENCE FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND SO BY
MAKING BY BRINGING THE NATIONAL
LENDS TO THIS HOLIDAY, A LOT
OF THE ISSUES AROUND THE
AFRICAN CUP ARE ALSO
HIGHLIGHTED. AND I THINK THAT’S
SUPER SUPER IMPORTANT. YOU
KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT WE ALL KNOW
THAT THE SPREAD OF INFORMATION,
THE WAY IT’S DISSEMINATED, HIS
CHANGE, YOU THINK ABOUT
SOMETHING SO POWERFUL. SO LIFE
CHANGING.
>> TAKING 2 YEARS TO REACH A
GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE
TREMENDOUSLY IMPACTED. WE’RE
UPSET WHEN THE WI-FI
DISCONNECTS FOR A SECOND OR
2. SO I’M ACTUALLY KNOW.
IMAGINE HOW INCREDIBLE THAT IS.
DOCTOR KIMBERLY MONTH FOR THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING SOME
TIME WITH US. I APPRECIATE IT.