Juneteenth 2021: Thoughts On The First National Observance

On June 19th, 1865 -- two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation and more than two months after the Confederacy's defeat by and surrender to the United States, two thousand U.S. troops marched into Galveston Texas -- in the westernmost state of the Confederacy -- and announced that the state's quarter million enslaved people were free. Two days ago -- June 17th, 2021, the day was recognized as the country's second Independence Day, when the banning of human ownership of other human beings was officially illegal throughout the land, and we became somewhat closer to the ideal that all people are created equal.

I have mixed thoughts about this, and want to offer them up in the spirit of allyship, empathy, and appreciation of this country's mixed and unfinished historical legacy. The struggles for Black, brown, LGBT, and women, as our most recent years have shown us, are far from over.

It's a good thing that Juneteenth is a recognized Federal holiday. For many though -- hourly workers, workers for private sector companies, for example, yesterday was not a day off work for reflection, but was another day of work or, even worse, a day of forced time off for no pay. And for many who had the day off, it was another day after Memorial Day to get errands done, sleep off the night before, or get to the beach a day early. I can't wait for the Juneteenth sales at Kohl's and Best Buy.

Recognition is a good thing. But in an age when Black people's voting rights are being restricted and the fundamental principles of democracy are under open attack, people of color are subject to harassment and murder with impunity by police, the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is less than a third what it would be if it reflected actual productivity gains, and the nation's infrastructure is falling apart, Congress cannot (or will not) legislate to protect voting rights, investigate the January 6th insurrection, fund infrastructure, reform policing, or raise the minimum wage. Sure, the Senate approved the Juneteenth holiday by acclamation, but there were 17 members of the House of Representatives who voted against it -- some of the same people who refused to authorize investigation of the insurrection.

I know that as a White, male person, I come to this discussion from a place of privilege. I've never needed to have "the talk" with my kids to make sure they know what to do so they're not murdered. I've never been intimidated from voting. But I have been guilty of ignorance. As I have written before on this blog, until a few months ago I had no idea that W.E.B. DuBois -- a giant of a sociologist and author -- had created an incredible set of data visualizations, one hundred and twenty years ago, that still resonates. And despite being a baseball fan for most of my life, and knowledgeable about my hometown's baseball history from the Senators to the Nationals, I know embarrassingly little about the Negro Leagues and the Homestead Grays team that included Josh Gibson, perhaps the greatest home run hitter who ever lived. Until a few years ago, when I saw people in the D.C. area wearing black baseball caps with a "G" on them (as pictured at the top of this post), I thought the G was for Georgetown. So now I'm educating myself.

So what can I do? I took part in a virtual 1.9 mile walk this morning to recognize the date, which was encouraged by 8 Changes for Racial Equity, a nonprofit working to promote cultural change in the workforce. While on the one hand, this was a bit performative, I also think that symbolism, spectacle, and participation are important. But I've been thinking about what else I can do, and these are my intentions:

• Elevation: Doing everything that I can to elevate Black voices, and voices and causes seeking to promote equality and antiracism. This often means being a facilitator, listener, or amplifier. It's not my voice. But I can do things like participating in the effort to rename the Major League MVP trophy for Josh Gibson through the card paintings that I make, and using my blog and art to amplify these voices.
• Advocating for antiracism in my data visualization activities: My "day job" is as a researcher and analyst; I also teach data visualization and create data visualizations in my spare time. I'm a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Data Visualization Society. In those capacities, whenever possible I advocate for unbiased data sources and encourage the use of data visualization to be conscious of bias and suggest ways to promote equality, political participation, and antiracism wherever possible.
• Listening and observing: I'm far from perfect and am always learning to be a better listener, and more self aware of how I move about in the world. I pledge that I will continue to work to be ever more self-aware about how others may perceive my words and actions.

I don't pretend to have all of the answers. But I hope to use this blog to explore them, both in the art that I create and the discussions I have.