U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty, Shontel Brown and Emilia Sykes reflect on their view of racial progress in the three years since Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday.
President Joe Biden points to Opal Lee after signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Washington. From left, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Opal Lee, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Vice President Kamala Harris, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of S.C., Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, obscured, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep.
Beatty views the holiday as a way to teach people the nation’s history, and promote DEI efforts. She likens the conservative backlash against DEI to slavery-era efforts to ensure that Black people remained illiterate. She says “MAGA Republicans” regard DEI training as “a threat to their existence.” “We could talk about so many medical things in our history that a Black person was responsible for in saving lives, and yet, why would it be a problem for a major university to be able to teach cultural differences?” Beatty asks. “It is important to understand cultural competency, cultural differences, to save lives.”
was sworn in as a House of Representatives member in November 2021, after winning a special election for the seat vacated when Marcia Fudge became Biden’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.“The efforts that are being made to whitewash history, to ban books, to to make things like Jim Crow seem like an astounding period for Black folks, only elevates the importance of knowing our history because Black history is American history,” says Brown.
“Anytime we can uplift the meaning of Juneteenth, that’s a good thing,” says Brown. “I think it’s important to note that Black Americans already knew the meaning and it didn’t take a federal holiday for us to celebrate it. For centuries Black people have been creating their own traditions and celebrations.”
Since the bill was signed, she says there have been advancements for Black Americans, although she doesn’t believe the holiday factored into it. She notes that she is one of a small proportion of Black members of Congress who doesn’t represent a majority Black district, and regards that as a sign of skin color becoming a less important factor to voters, and a sign of progress.
Joyce-Beatty Shontel-Brown Emilia-Sykes
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